Gee, You're Strong (or using your attributes - is it really evil?)

I've always hated the backhanded compliment in BJJ after a roll - "Gee, you're really strong."  The phrase can usually be translated - "you just positionally dominated me, submitted me multiple times, and generally kicked my butt for the allotted time, BUT you didn't beat me with jiu jitsu."

I would like to stand up and formally call BULL. You don't ask a big guy to not be big, you don't ask a fast guy to not be fast, you don't ask the cardio machine to not grind you into dust. WHY do we insist on trying to "guilt" the strong guy into not using his strength?

Now for all you purists out there, I understand that Helio Gracie (RESPECT) always maintained that his jiu jitsu was designed for smaller and weaker practitioners to be able to defend themselves and even defeat much larger or stronger opponents. It works. However, if that bigger stronger guy knows jiu jitsu just like you do, the game changes.

For example, I don't know many upper belts who are afraid to roll with some big/strong newbie thinking their jiu jitsu won't work (although they may worry about catching spazzy knees and elbows). They usually just kind of play with the guy and sweep and submit at will. On the other hand, the more equal the technical skill level gets, the more attributes decide who wins.

If you don't believe me, just take a look at all the recent ADCC competitors- not a muscle to be found right? Riiiiiight. These guys have technique and more. You don't want the economy box, you want the deluxe package - technique, cardio, speed, strength, and power. They are all aspects that can be trained. So by all means put in the mat time and work your technique first, but don't forget the rest of the package. And don't hate me because I'm beautiful stronger than you.

Steroids in BJJ

"I came here today to prove technique can beat steroids. They should start tests now." ~ Caio Terra over the P.A. during his interview after winning his Black Belt Division at the 2011 Pan-Ams

Caio Terra is awesome. You've seen some of his technique videos on here before. Getting on the mic and calling out the IBJJF and competitors on steroid use at this years Pan-Ams took some “man parts” you just can't get pharmacologically.


It has set off an interesting debate that has revealed a huge lack of basic knowledge (on both the pro and con side) about steroids and other PEDs. This post is an attempt at some basic education on the science of steroids and a brief discussion of the ethical issue.


The Science and the Upside

A steroid is a type of organic compound with a specific molecular arrangement. Hundreds of distinct steroids are found in plants, animals, and fungi. Naturally occurring steroids include estrogen, cortisol, progesterone, and testosterone.

When we are talking about steroids in sports we are really talking about anabolic steroids - drugs which mimic the effects of the male sex hormones testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. Anabolic steroids are by far the most "detected" banned Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) in sports that conduct testing.

With proper training and nutrition they increase muscle mass via increased protein synthesis from amino acids, increased appetite, increased bone growth, and stimulation of bone marrow (increasing blood cell production). All these mechanisms stimulate the formation of muscle leading to increased size and strength.

They also significantly aid in exercise recovery by blocking the effects of the stress hormone cortisol on muscle tissue, so that catabolism (break-down) of muscle is greatly reduced. This allows an athlete to train longer and harder (and reap the benefits of that additional training) regardless of muscle gain.

The Science and the Downside

Most athletes are aware that steroids can have some negative side effects such as acne and unwanted hair growth. Many think the worst that can happen is male gynecomastia ("bitch tits"). However there are more severe health risks that can be produced by long-term use or excessive doses of anabolic steroids. These effects include harmful changes in cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, liver damage (mainly with oral steroids), increased risk of cardiovascular disease or coronary artery disease, and dangerous changes in the structure of the left ventricle of the heart (leading to hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, heart attacks, and sudden cardiac death). Paradoxically, steroids can increase libido (sex drive) while at the same time reducing sexual function, suppressing natural sex hormones and sperm production.

Women and children are highly sensitive to testosterone and can suffer unintended masculinization and health effects, even from small doses. Adolescents can have their natural maturation process stunted or overly accelerated and otherwise disrupted.

Psychological side-effects can include agitation/anxiety and mood disorders, increased aggression and violence, mania, and (far) less frequently psychosis and suicide. Long-term steroid use can cause deep psychological dependence and withdrawal issues (while physical withdrawal is similar to substances such as caffeine).

It should be noted that many of the physical side-effects and downsides are drug and dose/duration dependent. This leads us to the final scientific downside in that recreational/sportive use of steroids is rarely under medical supervision. Most users do not know the proper drug/dose/duration cycles for safe use (more is better is not the way to go), they are not being monitored by a physician (and often hide their use from their doctors), and since most steroids (being illegal) are acquired on the black market there are no safeguards that the drug is even what the seller purports it to be.

The Ethics

There are many BJJ athletes who argue that since everybody does it (or can do it if they want) then it should be OK. To these athletes I would like to point out that anabolic steroids are illegal in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and Brazil (just off the top of my head) and many more have specific legislation banning “doping” in sports. If it is illegal “under law” to use these substances in the country in which you compete it should be a de facto understanding that they're use in a sports setting is also proscribed. Let me put it another way, they shouldn't have to make a rule that I can't assault you with a knife during our match at a tournament – it is illegal (even though we could all do it). Where do we draw the line? Do we want Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to be a sport that laughs in the face of the rest of the sports world?

There are BJJ athletes who say it is a personal choice and therefore doesn't concern anyone but the individual. That might be fine if that individual never competes, but if he does – it no longer just affects him it affects everyone he has a match against. What a “personal choice” means to our sport when our champions use illegal substances by choice remains to be seen.

There are BJJ athletes who say it is safe and doesn't hurt anybody. If everyone was to be medically supervised the risks are greatly reduced. Unfortunately, the majority of recreational steroid users are getting their information from questionable sources (I doubt “Mr. Biceps” at the gym has an M.D. - in fairness to “Mr. Biceps” he may actually know more than the average M.D. about steroids but do you seriously want to bet your health on it?). The fact that adolescents who want to be like their heroes are in a risk group that can suffer irreversible harm from the misuse of steroids is a serious concern. Another interesting point is that very few people have any understanding of the psychological dependence steroids and other PEDs can cause. You go from being “jacked” and able to train for days – thinking you are "like unto a god" to watching all those gains slowly slip away during your off cycle and only being able to train like a mere mortal. Psychology is a huge factor in long-term abuse and over dosage with steroids.

There are BJJ athletes who say that it is too expensive to test and we can't stop it therefore we should just allow it. It may be too expensive to test every individual in every tournament, but there are plenty of testing protocols that could be put in place that would greatly reduce steroid use in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu without significantly increasing a promoter's overhead or a competitor's entry fee.

Conclusion

There is a lot at stake both in image and money with the title of Pan-Am or Mundial/Worlds champion (not in championship purses but in drawing students to academies and seminars). As long as that is true there will be issues about “what it takes to win.” At some point someone has to draw a line in the sand and say enough - Caio Terra just drew a line. Which side are you going to stand on? Where do steroids fit into a healthy BJJ lifestyle?

Strength and Conditioning for Jiu Jitsu - Friday's Midnight Workout

...boy you don't post for a week and people start thinking you're lazy.  Just so you know I'm still training hard even when not posting - sometimes non-online life takes priority - here is Friday night's midnight workout.

Friday night real life kept me off the mats, but when all was settled down in the late evening I finally had a chance to get downstairs for a little Strength and Conditioning work.

After doing some shoulder pre-hab and joint mobility  work for about 15 minutes we started with a light "jump" plyometric warmup:
   3 rounds of 5 reps of straight jumps, skaters jumps, tuck jumps, and forward/back jumps.

Deadlifts:
   1 x 3 135 lbs
   1 x 3 185 lbs
   1 x 3 205 lbs
   1 x 3 225 lbs
   1 x 3 245 lbs
   1 x 3 255 lbs

The first 4 sets of deadlifts were alternated with sets of 5 bodyweight  plyo pushups off a bench.

Acceleration Squats
   1 x 5 135 lbs
   2 x 5 185 lbs


Pullups
   1 x 3 bodyweight
   1 x 1 bodyweight + 50 lbs vest
   1 x 3 bodyweight
   1 x 1 bodyweight + 50 lbs vest
   1 x 3 bodyweight
   1 x 1 bodyweight + 50 lbs vest
   1 x 3 bodyweight

Kettlbell Swings
   2 x 10 (each arm) 40lbs

Single Arm/Single Leg Deadlift
   3 x 5 (each leg) 45 lbs bar
For this exercise you bend at the waist lifting one leg behind you, reach down with the opposite hand to the middle of the bar and pull - returning to the upright position and back down on one leg. This is a balance/core/stretch movement - you don't have to think about loading much (if any) weight on the bar.

Finished with 20 minutes of Yoga at the stroke of midnight.

Yes that's right, while most people are out having a good time on Friday night I'm either on the mats or in the gym. I'm sick like that. Most of my friends no longer bother to ask me, "so what did you do this weekend?" (sigh).

Strength and Conditioning for Jiu Jitsu - Your Jiu Jitsu is Weak!

I've had a few people who read my strength and conditioning posts complain that they don't have kettlebells, a suspension trainer, or access to a decent set of free weights because they can't pay for jiu jitsu and a gym membership too.  Well my answer to that is quit whining! There is plenty you can do with a little imagination like the guys in the video below who say your jiu jitsu is weak! (and mine too)




If that is not enough you can add some sledgehammers (into the ground if you don't have a tire to beat on), push a car instead of a sled/prowler, pick up big rocks, throw a concrete block, fill up a wheelbarrow and run it up and down the street, jump up 3 stairs at a time, run hill sprints - or like many folks like me across the US this last week, shovel massive quantities of snow.

My point is that there is so much to do out there you can still target aerobic conditioning, anaerobic conditioning, basic strength, or power with a little extra motivation.

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - What's on Your Plate

Because of the winter storms I was shuttling people around in the snow and didn't get home in time to make it back out to BJJ class this evening. I thought about kicking back and having a beer, but then Spike TV had to show a replay of the Randy Couture-Gabrielle Gonzaga fight.

Having had two different people recently (one a training partner, one an MMA fan) both essentially tell me I was the result of a twisted genetic experiment using DNA from Georges Saint-Pierre and Randy Couture I had to do something in honor of watching Couture's ring domination. (I am sure the comparison was made because we all buzz /shave our heads and that I am slightly under GSP's size and slightly over Couture's age - and not referring to my fighting abilities :-( )

With everyone else in the house asleep, I couldn't bang and clank the heavy weights so I decided to just grab a 45 lbs plate and a 16 kg kettlebell and go to work.

Round 1 looked a lot like the video below (but at a faster pace) - keeping the 45 lbs plate moving for a full 5 minutes without setting it down (other than what is in the video I did tricep extensions, bent over rows, stiff legged deadlifts, goblet squats - all with the plate, and probably several other movements that I can't recall now)




Round 2 consisted of 5 minutes of keeping the kettlebell moving in a similar manner - swings, snatches, russian twists, squats, lunges, suitcase lifts, etc.

Round 3 consisted of 5 minutes of shadow boxing - punches, kicks, shots - and working combinations thereof.

Round 4 consisted of me drinking that beer that I mentioned earlier ;-).


I'm not so sure I see the resemblance ;-),  but if somebody wants to compare me in some way to these two guys - hella yeah I'm going to put it on my blog :-).

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Power Hour

I couldn't get to jiu jitsu tonight due to some "real life" issues, but being inspired by GSP's quote I was determined to get some type of training in. So as soon as I had a moment this evening, I ran downstairs to the gym and got to it.

I call this one the Power Hour because it clocked in at just under an hour (warmup included) and had a definite power leaning.



Acceleration Squats - 2 minutes rest between sets
    2 x 5 135 lbs
    3 x 5 155 lbs
(getting just a little bit of air at the top of each rep - but you don't want to really "jump'' carrying significant weight on your back)

3 Rounds - 30 seconds rest between rounds
    1 x 10 (each arm) 16 kg Single Arm Kettlebell Swings
    1 x 8  Suspension Trainer Dips
    1 x 8 Box Jumps (24" box)
    1 x 8 (revolutions each direction) 45 lbs plate Around the World
(this wound up being a killer combination - the core stabilization of suspension dips right after one-armed kettlebell swings then keeping a 45 lbs plate moving around your head right after the box jumps was a stroke of evil genius ;-))

Then Finished up with a Pullup/Pushup Complex - no timed rest just took a few breaths and jumped in
    8 Pullups/8 Feet Elevated Pushups
    6/6
    6/6
    4/4

How was your evening?

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - New Year's Day Workout

Now some of you may think I have been replaced with an alien pod person because there are no squats or deadlifts in my New Year's Day workout. I must admit I feel kind of dirty, and this is obviously not the way to propitiously start the new year. I can only hope that I haven't irreparably torn the space/time continuum.

And now for your reading pleasure, a Zen Mojo workout totally devoid of squats and deadlifts:

15 minutes of warmup and upper body activation

This workout started out with a Power phase as the first exercise. Sometimes I work power exercises directly in with the primary Strength exercises (such as a set of Bench immediately followed by Medicine Ball Slams or Plyo/Acceleration Presses of some type or Squats immediately followed by Box Jumps). However today, we start with a straight Power exercise before we do our primary Strength lift. I'm using Power Cleans to a Push Press (Olympic Lifts are great here - I could have done a straight Clean and Jerk or Snatch).

Power Clean/Push Press
   1 x 5 95 lbs
   1 x 3 115 lbs
   1 x 3 135 lbs
   1 x ? 155 lbs (pulled the Clean twice but failed on the press)
   1 x 3 145 lbs (since I missed at 155)

Next I went into 4 rounds of Bench Press - immediately followed by Inverted Rows - immediately followed by Russian Twists (2 minutes rest between rounds)

Bench Press
   Round 1 1 x 5 135 lbs
      Round 2 1 x 5 155 lbs
         Round 3 1 x 5 175 lbs
            Round 4 1 x 1 195 lbs (form was gone by this round so I only put up 1 rep and racked the bar)

Suspension Inverted Rows (feet elevated)
   Round 1 1 x 8 Bodyweight
      Round 2 1 x 6 Bodyweight + 50 lbs vest
         Round 3 1 x 4 Bodyweight + 50 lbs vest
            Round 4 1 x 4 Bodyweight + 50 lbs vest

Seated Russian Twists
   Round 1 1 x 20 25 lbs
      Round 2 1 x 20 25 lbs
         Round 3 1 x 20 25 lbs
             Round 4 1 x 20 25 lbs


Then I finished up with a complex where the bar is loaded (45 lbs plate) on one end and the other end of the bar is shoved into a corner or backstop consisting of 2 x 10 (on each side/arm) of :
   Landmines
   Single Arm Presses

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Wed. Workout

Here is my Wed. workout with some inserted commentary.

If you have been reading these strength and conditioning posts you know that I am going to tell you that if you want to get fundamentally stronger you need to be doing squats and deadlifts. I know it sucks but that is life. If you want to be able to "posture" out of a triangle, you can't beat deadlifts, if you want to power through takedowns or stand up to pass from your opponent's guard you need some squat muscle. In other posts I will talk about some alternative exercises like lunges and "good mornings" that can also work well but you still have to squat and deadlift every now and then.

The "heavy" portion of the workout consisted of:
  Deadlifts (3 minutes of rest between sets)
      135 x 5
      185 x 5
      225 x 5
      255 x 1
      135 x 10 Acceleration Deadlifts

The "light" portion of the workout consisted of:
  2 rounds with 2 minutes rest between rounds -
     95 x 5 Barbell Snatch
     105 x 3 Power Clean to Push Press
  immediately followed by -
     1 x 40 Seated Russian Twist (25 lbs)
     2 x 10 Single Leg Bridge with suspension trainer

You will get the impression in these posts that I like kettlebells and suspension trainers (like the TRX). I do. They are great for working under a load for both speed and strength at all sorts of odd angles both bilaterally and unilaterally (two arms/two legs and one arm/one leg) - just what we need for jiu jitsu.

And a final note - I'm not posting all my workouts (this blog is not my training log). I've been emphasizing squats and deadlifts a lot I know, mainly because nobody likes to do them and they have some of the highest "bang for your buck" returns. I will try and post some some stuff that has a bigger "fun factor" soon. 


Answers to some questions that have come up:

1. My current bodyweight is 165 lbs. at 6 ft. tall.
2. I'll turn 50 on my next birthday this summer.
3. I try to hit two workouts a week that have a heavier strength component - preferably on non jiu jitsu days.
4. Skill work is a priority, but life can complicate things - I am on the mat 3-4 times a week for 3 -4 hrs. at a time including an hour of rolling most nights. I would love to break up my skill, strength, and conditioning work over multiple sessions in a day but most of us don't have that luxury.
5. You can check my results on the earlier assessment posts in the comments section here: Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Training Plan - Overview (part 4 of ?)

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Friday Workout (Christmas Eve)

Here is my Christmas Eve workout. I wanted to get something quick in dirty in knowing that I would be taking Christmas day completely off.

Note: Lately I've noticed some serious imbalances, basic problems, and weak points and will be adjusting my workouts accordingly.  Here is Friday's workout and the logic behind some of the specific exercise choices as an example of how to listen to your body and adjust accordingly:

Squat/Plyo Box Jump Complex
    Squat 135 x 8
      Plyo Box Jump bodyweight x 8 (jump down from a  12" box and then up to a 24" box)
    Squat 165 x 5
      Plyo Box Jump bodyweight x 8
    Squat 185 x 5
      Plyo Box Jump bodyweight x 8
    Squat 205 x 5
      Plyo Box Jump bodyweight x 8

This complex was the "heavy" portion of the workout. Approximately 2 minutes of rest between sets and no rest between squats and the box jumps.

For awhile I had been working on stretching and trying to squat as deep as possible - way below parallel butt to ground.   While I was getting the depth under decent, not maximal, load, I was noticing serious rounding of the lower back starting just under parallel (not just bad form but dangerous). Analysis with another trainer indicated that it was not a flexibility issue but rather an anatomical "impossibility" based on my personal body geometry (where the bar properly rests across my traps, length of spine, length of upper and lower leg) and keeping the weight balanced and centered. I could switch to high-bar squats, but that aggravates an old injury - so no more going super-deep, just strict form to parallel.


I am also working on lower body "power" - hence the combination of squats and plyo box jumps as a complex. I often do box jumps with additional weight (20-50 lbs) - I have noticed a lot of knee irritation when I do this, not from the jump up, but from the jump down. In response, I will not be doing "plyo" jumps off a low box up to a high box under additional weight and will be "stepping" off the high box rather than jumping back down. 


The "lighter" conditioning portion of the workout consisted of:
2 Rounds (no rest between exercises 1 minute between rounds)
   45lbs x 20(each arm) One-armed Kettlebell Swings
   bodyweight x 5 "rollouts" on suspension trainer
   45lbs x 20(each arm) One-armed Bent Over Rows
   bodyweight x 20 deep squats (assisted by suspension trainer)
   bodyweight x 5 Gymnastics "skin the cat" on suspension trainer
   30 seconds of "stir the pot" using suspension trainer

Approximately 5 minutes of continuous "wrestler's bridge" neck work

In the lighter portion of the workout I am using deep squats with the suspension trainer because it lets me go deep in an anatomically correct way. Also I will be adding neck work consistently as this is an essential area for grappler's that is currently lagging for me and gets almost no work unless specifically targeted.

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Training Plan - Overview (part 4 of ?)

Just to refresh your memory on some of our opening assumptions:

1. We are targeting the "average joe" athlete - jiu jitsu players who have a life and day job off the mats but still want to improve and be competitive. 
2. If you are at the upper bounds of great on the previously posted assessments you should look into finding a strength and conditioning coach who can work with you 1-on-1 to continue to improve.
3. The nature of our sport means that we are ALWAYS going to put skill/technique work at the top of the list and work it as much as we can year round and that low intensity flexibility work (such as light yoga) is recommended.

So how did you do? What should you do next? Whether you used my "benchmarks" or prefer to work with some other criteria we want to determine what should be emphasized in your training program based on your personal assessment and the following hierarchy:
Skill/Technique work >
     Basic Aerobic Capacity >
               Anaerobic Capacity >
                         Basic Strength >
                                   Power >       

A good training program will address all of these areas. What should change over time is the balance of work between the areas. Each step should be in the adequate to good range before the emphasis shifts to the next step. Your assessment should give you an indication of where you are (currently) and what type, and how much, of a particular type of training you should be including. Additionally, your training program over time needs to cycle through some sort of periodization (but that is a set of posts for another time).

I've included some (motivational) videos as examples of what training might look like within the different areas. You may be doing a lot of the same "exercises" at each level, but the volume (sets, reps) and intensity (weight, rest) change.

Skill/Technique Work
Skill and Technique work - hitting the mats - is job one. This should always constitute the lion's share of our training time. Find a good school and try to get there as often as you can. You may not be able to live at the gym, but if you want to be competitive you have to put in some mat time.

Basic Aerobic Capacity Emphasis
If you are not currently rating "adequate" on the cardio assessment, the priority of your training time off the mat should be spent on increasing your aerobic base. This is the foundation you need to hang everything else  off of. The emphasis here will be slightly longer, less intense workouts. Running, skipping rope, biking, rowing, and simple bodyweight exercises get the most time.





Anaerobic Capacity Emphasis
Once we have a decent aerobic base we want to maintain that base while increasing our anaerobic conditioning into the good range. We start including shorter more intense workouts. Sprints replace distance running, we use tabatas and other high intensity protocols on our activities, exercises become "heavier" and are put together into sets and rounds with only short rest intervals between. You will develop a love/hate relationship with the phrases "burpee," "kettlebell," "prowler," "next round," and "for time."









Basic Strength Emphasis
While maintaining our aerobic/anaerobic conditioning we start moving heavy things. There will be assistance exercises but an increasing proportion of our time should be spent doing basic multi-joint exercises: deadlifts, squats, presses, pullups, and rows. We are not talking about a bodybuilding routine here. It doesn't matter how you look (although as a byproduct of all the work you are doing you will be looking good). Exercises are targeted at overall functional strength AND sport specific strength with assistance exercises to keep you balanced and injury free. It should also be noted that if you are currently a big "weightlifter," your lift totals might actually go down as you bring up your aerobic and anaerobic conditioning - but you will be a better fighter.



Power Emphasis
Once we have a good strength base we can take moving heavy things and add moving heavy things quickly. Our strength exercises are combined with complimentary power movements in complexes - we might combine sets of squats and box jumps, presses and medicine ball throws, deadlifts and dumbell snatches. Olympic lifts might replace some of the basic strength lifts in our training plan and plyometric exercises increase.







In the next few posts in this series we will use some "case studies" to talk about tailoring a training program for individual needs.

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Assessment - Basic Strength (part 3 of ?)

Ok, I know you guys have all been waiting on this post in the series to answer the age old question - "am I strong enough." Now we all know "enough" is a relative term, but there is answer. The answer is - NO, you are never strong enough, but for our assessment we want to know if you have enough Basic Strength where it would be advantageous to include Explosive Power work in your training.

What do we mean by "basic strength" and "explosive power." In a very leave out all the details definition, basic strength is the ability to move heavy things while explosive power is the ability to move heavy things very quickly.

Leo Morton also has a good series on what we are talking about here over on Inside BJJ. Here are the pertinent links: Strength & Conditioning for Jiu-Jitsu Part II, and Strength & Conditioning for Jiu-Jitsu Part III. Go ahead, give them a read. I'll still be here when you get back.

Leo uses a chart which is a subset of a chart presented by Tim Henriques over on T-Nation (Are You Strong). I have no problem with either of these charts for determining if you are "gym strong," but for our assessment in BJJ (and to give us an indication of whether we should add Explosive Power work) they are a little high (and Leo also states this).

Remember, this series is for the Average Joe who has a day job who wants to improve his BJJ game. If you are in the Good/Great range for all these benchmarks, it is time to find a good S and C coach who can work with you one-on-one.

Here is the chart I like to use:
EXERCISE    ADEQUATE      GOOD         GREAT

DEADLIFT    1.5 x BW          2 x BW          2.5 x BW

SQUAT         1.25 x BW        1.75 x BW     2.25 x BW

BENCH         1.00 x BW        1.25 x BW     1.75x BW

MILITARY
PRESS           .60 x BW         .80 x BW        1.25 x BW

If you are somewhere between Adequate and Good, it is time to start thinking about adding some Power work into your routine. If you are in the Good to Great range you should definitely be doing Power work.

So now we have a quick and dirty idea of where we stand on our cardio/conditioning and our basic strength. In the next post in this series we will use this information to determine some priorities and next steps.

And if you are just now joining us - the series so far:
Strength and Conditioning in BJJ (intro)
Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Assessment (part 1 of ?)
Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Assessment - Cardio (part 2 of ?)
...

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Assessment - Cardio (part 2 of ?)

"Fatigue can defeat us all. Worse even than the loss of technical proficiency is the simple inability to continue..."

I didn't want to use the word cardio because it only captures half of the conditioning equation. In this series of posts cardio = conditioning - I am referring to both cardiovascular/respiratory endurance - The ability of body systems to gather, process, and deliver oxygen and stamina - The ability of body systems to process, deliver, store, and utilize energy.

Conditioning can be increased by both aerobic and anaerobic activities. Efforts at moderate to high power lasting less than several minutes are anaerobic and efforts at low power and lasting in excess of several minutes are aerobic. (examples: sprints from 100 up to 800 meters are largely anaerobic - longer distances from 1,500 meters up are largely aerobic)

Now on to the cardio assessment. You may be incredibly fit for some activities, such as running a marathon, and be reduced to a mass of quivering jelly when rolling on the mats. The type of cardio training you need most IS sport specific. Basketball, football, wrestling, soccer, volleyball, etc. all benefit the most from anaerobic training. Long distance and ultra endurance running, cross country skiing, and 1500+ meter swimming are sports that benefit from primarily aerobic training. Guess which one you need most for BJJ? That's right anaerobic endurance is the foundation of a great BJJ fighter.

An anaerobic assessment benchmark that matches well with BJJ is somewhat difficult. VO2max testing is expensive - the easy tests of treadmill running and 5-10K race times aren't a good carryover to BJJ. The random "workouts" from sources like Crossfit and other areas of the internet are hard to classify easily. Here are a few of the ones I use when trying to get a general idea of someone's anaerobic foundation (these are quick and dirty for the average Joe and can be done at home and the next time you hit the mats).

Test 1: 6 minute burpee challenge
Since this is a "timed" test form will probably not be perfect, but the chest should almost hit the ground on the pushup phase and the end jump should at least clear a few inches.
Results: 50 (adequate), 75 (good), 100 (you are a beast)

Test 2: 1 mile run
Not a sprint, not a trot - you should push hard enough to not want to do this again anytime soon (i.e. have a strong desire to, but try not to - puke).
Results: 7 minutes (adequate), 6 minutes (good), sub 6 (great)

Test 3: 5 rounds of 6 minutes rolling (30 second rest between rounds)
This is the most subjective, because you can easily stall and sandbag, but the intent is for you to roll 5 hard 6 minute rounds against individuals close to your size/skill level. Taking it too easy will be revealed by you getting tapped multiple times during a round or staying in bad positions. Starting from the feet is preferred.
Results: self evaluation = "I can survive this a couple of times a week" (adequate), "I can easily do this several times a week" (good), "Let's do a couple more rounds right now!" (great)

OK, so what does this tell us? Well I have good news and bad news. The good news is that if you are in the good to great range you can definitely mix your training up to include some serious strength work. The bad news is, just like skill work and flexibility - we should be doing cardio/conditioning all year. If you fall into the adequate range (or are not quite there yet), don't worry - YOU CAN GET THERE - this benchmark simply tells us that your priority should be additional conditioning work before trying to add significant strength work.

A few notes before we close:
1. The results "numbers" are ball park estimates. A 200+ lbs. fighter will not be able to do as many burpees or run as fast as the 145 lbs. fighter.

2. These figures are for the athlete who is serious and wants to be competitive but has a job (and a partial life) outside of BJJ.

3. These numbers are what I would like to see for someone between 25-35 years of age.

4. We can get a little more technical and say that your heart rate after each of these tests should be heading back under 100 bpm at the 2 minute mark and getting close to or under 80 bpm at the 5 minute mark (pretty close to full recovery). How quickly you recover is one of the key indicators of how conditioned you are - if you want to get more serious, buy a heart rate monitor.

5. You may think these benchmarks suck. If you have some other "quick and dirty" tests and results that an average Joe can do without a lot of expense or equipment that are better - post them in the comments section.

(next post in this series - Basic Strength Assessment)

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Assessment (part 1 of ?)

(alternative series title - "You Can't Do It All or Maybe You Can If You Do It Right.")

Should I just concentrate on skill work? What about cardio? Am I too weak? How strong is strong enough? What about power and explosiveness, when am I supposed to train that? Should I do Yoga or some other form of flexibility work? What should I be doing/not doing for rest and recovery? Where the @#$% am I supposed to find time to do all this?

Most of us are not professional athletes who can dedicate our entire day to training. In order to maximize the benefits of our limited training time we need to train hard but we also need to train smart. Training smart means doing the right things at the right times at the right volume/intensity.

So just how do we determine what all this "right stuff" is. I don't think anyone has figured out ALL the right stuff, but fortunately, there is a wealth of data and research in athletic performance that we can appropriate for BJJ that will let us postulate some general rules of thumb. When we combine these general rules with observation of what is consistently working in the grappling and MMA communities we can map out some suggestions for a training program that may not have ALL the answers but will be a significant leap beyond "Just Do It."

The first step in developing a good training program is to determine where you currently are - only then can you can make logical decisions on what should come next. We do this by performing an Assessment. An assessment helps to determine your individual needs. Some players gas early, other players may get manhandled and pushed around, and others lose matches because their skills are not up to par, alternatively the super-technical guy may be continuously fighting injuries because of strength deficits/imbalances. Even though we are all athletes in the same sport we are not all at the same place on our journey. We need to determine at an individual level what we need most to advance to the next level.

This is where I am going to suggest a few "rules of thumb" for determining where you are. First, the nature of our sport means that we are ALWAYS going to put skill/technique work at the top of the list and work it year round (no true off season). Second, low intensity flexibility work (such as light yoga) is almost always good for recovery and is recommended - that said everyone has varying levels of base flexibility that can be improved with regular stretching but BJJ in general does not require you to be able to do the splits or put your leg behind your head.

This leaves us with the big 3 training variables: Cardio, Basic Strength, and Explosive Power.

(next post in this series - Cardio Assessment)

Strength and Conditioning in BJJ - Sunday Workout

Tonight's post is brought to you courtesy of Gladiator. I was trying to be lazy and ignore the fact that I needed to have a deadlift day. But as I'm trying to do my best imitation of spudus supinus, remote in hand, Russell Crowe starts taking on the Roman Empire and I'm all "Glaaaadiaaatoooor!" And suddenly I felt the urge to do antisocial things. I quickly channeled these urges into a force for Good instead of Evil and proceeded to eat raw meat and move heavy objects.

I wasn't going to write about this workout as there is not anything particularly interesting or fun about doing deadlifts. But these S and C posts seem to be some of the most popular so I will try to include them a little more often (but this blog is not going to be my training log). Also, as I mentioned in my last post, the basic compound exercises (deadlift, squat, and some type of overhead press) should be the core of the strength part of your workout.

If you are not doing some form of these 3 exercises you may be "working out" but you are not "training" for strength. Learn how to do these lifts with good form and don't let your ego get in the way and you will see the benefits on the mats in just a few months. These exercises suck - they are hard, but the juice is worth the squeeze.

I plan on posting more general info on Strength and Conditioning for BJJ in the coming weeks. Why, because:

1. as I already mentioned these posts seem to be very popular.
2. if you go to a bodybuilding forum you'll get some warped info (different "sport" different objectives).
3. if you go to a powerlifting or other type of strength forum you'll get some warped info (different "sport" different objectives).
4.  if you go to some of the popular mma sites you can find some good info but the examples are generally for fulltime athletes - I will try and show examples for a motivated "average guy" focused on BJJ/grappling (and a little bit of mma).
5. if it provides a little inspiration to get you started if you're not doing any S and C (some is better than none) or improves the value of the time you spend on S and C then good karma comes my way.

And on to the workout:
Deadlifts (approximately 2 minutes rest between sets)
   1x5 at 135 lbs.
   1x5 at 185 lbs.
   1x5 at 205 lbs.
   1x5 at 225 lbs.
   1x1 at 255 lbs.
   1x1 at 275 lbs.

Reset the bar for Clean and Press (note press not jerk)
   1x5 at 95 lbs.
   1x5 at 115 lbs.
   1x5 at 135 lbs.
(The first 2 sets I was trying to move the bar as fast as possible and didn't really stop in the clean position, they were almost a snatch with a press to lock out instead of a drop back under the bar.)

   2x10 each leg Wrestler Shot Level Changes then a step back into a full lunge (with 50 lbs vest)
   3x8 TRX Inverted Rows (with 50 lbs vest)
   2x15 TRX "atomic" pushups (pulling knees to elbow on alternating sides)

"Strength and honor." ~ Maximus Decimus Meridius

Strength and Conditioning in BJJ - Wed Workout

This is the second post titled "Strength and Conditioning in BJJ - Wed Workout." I don't just workout on Wednesdays, that's just the day this workout happened this week.

5 minutes medicine ball (15 lbs) throws with a partner
20 Kettlebell swings (16 kg)
20 Kettlebell clean and press (16 kg each hand)
20 Kettlebell bentover rows (16 kg)
20 Air squats

This workout was a light "all rounder" before class. I normally like to end a workout with ballistic or plyometric exercises like the medicine ball throws but I decided to grab a partner before they could run and hide :-).

For the throws start about 6 feet apart and use a two-handed "chest pass" to throw the medicine ball back and forth with your partner. Approximately every 5th pass - back up one step. When you reach the limits of how far you can "chest pass" with control on both the throw and the catch, come back to the 6 ft. mark and start again with a two-handed "overhead pass." Continue swapping between chest and overhead passing until the 5 minutes is up.

If you don't have a partner you can throw the ball "overhand" straight up and alternate it with "underhand" throws catching it yourself.

The rest of the workout is fairly self explanatory. You can do this workout for time, but I prefer to make sure I always keep kettlebell exercises under control and don't try to rush anything. On the air squats you can use the kettlebells in a "clean position" for extra resistance or add a jump at the top of each squat. For me, I was concentrating on getting my rear down as low as possible and making sure I had a good "stretch" through my knees and hips.

This weekend I should have a deadlift day which in and of itself is pretty boring so I probably won't blog anything about it. I'm saying something about it here so that you know it is important. If you can only do one "barbell" exercise it should be deadlifts. Also note if you are rolling a lot (1hr or more 3 or more days a week) or doing a lot of "conditioning" oriented exercises you won't be able to lift as heavy as when you are only training for strength. For example, right now with all the rolling I am doing I would  be lucky to pull a max over 300 lbs. but if I was just strength training I should be able to pull over 400.

Strength and Conditioning in BJJ - Wed Workout

Had a light week last week getting ready for the Nashville BJJ Open. This week has been a lot of extra mat time so no heavy lifting days. Wednesday's workout was once again very simple but if you try it you will hate like it.

5 rounds for time with NO rest between exercises and NO rest between rounds:
     10 Burpees (full Burpee with a pushup and jump at the end)
     5 Pullups (pullups, not chinups, and each rep should begin from a dead hang)

The only place you can "rest" is at the hang of your pullups. DO NOT let go of the bar. If you can not do 5 pullups each round without having to drop off the bar, do as many as you can and immediately move on to the next set of Burpees. In other words, if you drop off the bar your set is over - keep moving at full speed into the next round.

The first set is relatively easy. But each successive set becomes more "interesting." If you are going as fast and hard as you can (the start of your Burpee will look like a solid sprawl, the pushup will be almost plyometric, and the jump will look like your basketball dunk) you will start breathing deep by the second set and this should give you a new appreciation for the dead hang pullups.

On the other hand, you can loaf your way through this routine and wonder what the big deal is.

Training Day - Tuesday's S and C and Jiu Jitsu

Strength and Conditioning Work:
   10 minutes warmup
   10 minutes of shoulder rehab work with powerbands
   15 minutes - Rounds (no rest between rounds) consisting of:
      Pullups x10
      Kettle Bell Swings x10 (16kg)
      Dips x10
      TRX Inverted Rows x10
      Wrestler Shot Level Changes x10 each leg
( pullups started taking multiple sets  to get to 10 (7+3, 5+3+2,...) after the second round, same thing for dips after the fourth round - just started round 6 at the buzzer)

Jiu Jitsu
   S and C followed by about 20 minutes of rolling before class

   1 hr Fundamentals Class - drilling favorite takedown, favorite guard pass
   1.5 hrs Advanced Class - open guard transitions
   40 minutes of rolling

I like to do my S and C on  days I'm not hitting the mat or when there are no such days - after class and rolling. Today S and C went first and I could definitely feel it in my gas tank. I had to dig deep to keep rolling.

Status: Tired
Mood: Satisfied
Listening To: Rodrigo Y Gabriella - Buster Voodoo

Strength and Conditioning - Friday's Workout

Friday's workout in my mind!

After my Strength and Conditioning discussion earlier this week it seems only fair that I man-up and give you an example. Here is my Friday workout. This was one of my two "heavy" days of the week (deadlift, squat, or overhead press) - for whichever of those 3 exercises is up I do 5x5 as heavy as I can go immediately dropping some weight and "grease the groove" with the same (or a similar exercise) working on speed. Then a short break (5-10 minutes) and and on to the slightly lighter part of the workout. You can get some good ideas for exercises from the Crossfit and Crossfit Football sites as well as Ross Training.

Warmup (10 minutes)

Deadlifts (approximately 3 minutes rest between sets)
1x5 at 135 lbs.
1x5 at 185 lbs.
1x5 at 215 lbs.
1x5 at 235 lbs.
1x3 at 255 lbs. (missed the last 2 pulls)
1x15 at 135 (for speed/power)

Rest (5 minutes)

3 Rounds (1 minute rest between rounds) consisting of:
5 pullups
10 weighted (50 lbs vest) pushups
20 weighted (50 lbs vest) squat jumps

Misc. "gymnastic" bodyweight (at 165 lbs) work with a suspension trainer/rings (approximately 20 minutes no rest other than set-up between exercises)

Other than the 2 heavy days, I work a light strength session (similar to the second half of the workout) before class 3 to 4 times a week (in addition to the conditioning work we do in class).

Some general observations. I often have to adjust exercises around tweaks and injuries from rolling (dumbells and kettlebells are great for being able to work around a unilateral injury).  Two "heavy" days is all my body can take with 3-4 days of serious rolling. The 3 "heavy" lifts remain fairly consistent (occasional substitutions) the lighter portion of the workout is highly varied. I've noticed I am  significantly stronger "lifting" when I've had to reduce "rolling" for some reason after about 2 weeks ("What," I hear you say, "less rolling?" - yeah, sometimes life happens :-)).


I will continue this "theme" in future posts with some of my favorite exercises and motivational videos.

Strength and Conditioning in BJJ

There are several aspects to why Strength and Conditioning (S/C) is important in BJJ.

First there is the general physical preparedness required for the sport. You have to be able to move your bodyweight (and often a portion of your opponent's bodyweight) effectively (strength) and efficiently over time (conditioning). I see many people coming into the sport who lack this base level of general physical preparedness. For these people basic S/C training is almost required along with their mat time/technique work to progress in BJJ. But fear not, this basic level of physical preparedness is something that "any average Joe" should be able to achieve with some time and effort.

Once this base level of physical preparedness is achieved, many people can advance quite well in BJJ concentrating on technique but strength (and size) and conditioning will almost always have benefits. Given equal skill, a bigger stronger competitor will win most of the time (not all of the time) and given equal skill a better conditioned competitor will be able to win more matches (especially in a tournament) than a less conditioned competitor.

Having a skill advantage allows you to compensate or even dominate against a strength/conditioning advantage. How much skill is needed to compensate against how much strength/conditioning is debateable but why not have both skill and strength/conditioning? (and yes there is a trade-off between carrying muscle mass, speed, and "gassing-out" - but that's a discussion for another post)

BJJ uses leverage as a "force multiplier", but there still must be some force applied. (Mathematically, this is expressed by:
M = Fd 
- where F is the force, d is the distance between the force and the fulcrum, and M is the turning force known as the moment or torque.) The magnitude of torque depends on three quantities: First, the force applied; second, the length of the lever arm connecting the axis to the point of force application; and third, the angle between the two.

In BJJ terms this means I have to be able to manipulate both my body and my opponent's body into the proper positions to gain this mechanical advantage. I have to be able to set up the lever and fulcrum/angle properly (skill) in order to get the maximum output from my applied force (strength).

The stronger I am the more my lever and fulcrum/angle can be less than optimal and still be effective. Most of us know from experience that the perfect technique we just drilled becomes slightly (or significantly) less than perfect when we roll against a fully resisiting opponent. Add in the fatigue factor and we get sloppier still.

As for the argument "isn't rolling enough?" to develop my S/C (especially conditioning). It is a good foundation and should definitely be a large component of your S/C.

BUT - rolling by itself may not be optimal. If I have limited time and energy to be my best at any endeavor, I want to "optimize" my training program. I can get stronger/more explosive by specifically coordinating my resistance training; and get a bigger "gas tank" by specifically coordinating external cardio with my rolling than I can achieve just by rolling alone.

Finally, a strength and conditioning program outside of rolling can play a major role in injury prevention. As a precursor, it prepares my body for the stress of rolling. As a supplement to rolling it allows me to generate a greater volume of work without (if done properly) the resulting wear and tear on my body (bruises, sprains, strains, contusions, and other damage from rolling) that a high volume of rolling alone would accumulate.