“Training with super tough guys isn’t as important as most people make it out
to be. Training with tough partners should be a very small percentage of your
actual training. When you train with tough guys it wears on you physically. It
is harder to develop your game and technique because you’re not able to complete
or develop it. 

When you train with lesser athletes make a mental checklist of what needs to
be tense (and with what end in mind) and what doesn’t.

 Learn to relax and move with the opponent’s moves (and fight against them
less) e.g. if he goes for a sweep relax and let it go while at the same time
flowing and floating on him like a blanket.” Mike Colby, Bayless Jiu JItsu Black Belt

If you want a fairly inexpensive yet effective solution to your muscle
soreness then try this approx. 30 minutes after your workout. Make sure you
drink plenty of water (and Rehydrate) after your workout.

6-8 prunes. Prunes are one of the highest rating foods on the ORAC scale
(Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity).
1/4 to 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries mixed with 1/4 to 1/2 cup unsalted almonds

Part of your soreness results from the lactic acid and other waste products
your muscles create during exercise. The prunes seem to help with relieving the
effects of these waste products.

The other part comes from dehydration. It is possible to have drunk a lot of
water and still be dehydrated.

I used to experience a groggy and tired feeling the morning after intense Gi
Jiu Jitsu workouts. I was losing a minimum of 6 pounds of fluid per workout due
to the extra heat of being in the gi. This was on a typical workout the fluid
loss was even more for more intense training sessions. Not to mention my body
was performing under very high temperatures for an extended period. I realized
that I needed to make sure that I was rehydrating properly and adequately. 

After I made the adjustment I was able to awake rested and refreshed because
I was waking up in a more hydrated state. Remember that if you go to bed a
little dehydrated you will wake up even more so because you will be going
another 8 hours +/- without liquids. 

Give this combo a try! 

While listening to the book "Leadership and Self Deception" by the Arbinger Institute I realized something. Dan Gable treated and saw his athletes as people and was able to get them to give him their best every day. When people give their best every day they will get better.

When you love and respect someone they will want to give you their best because you have given them yours.

People think Gable's "Work Ethic" is what made his teams win, but it was more of his "People Ethic" that made the difference.

Miyamoto Musashi:
“When you understand yourself and you understand the enemy you cannot be defeated.”

Sun Tzu:
“If he doesn’t know himself and doesn’t know the enemy, he is certain to entertain defeat.”

Follow that the masters taught. Ponder on what these things mean and you will be that much closer to becoming one yourself.

Can I just start by saying that I can’t stand 90% of the personal trainers
out there? As part of my grappling training I follow strength training and
conditioning programs. I often train at the local mega-gym since its right
across the street from my current residence. Every time I go there I see these
20-something trainers who are uber fit just by default training their overweight
40+something clients. What irks me is that they have these completely
undeveloped-overfed-sedentary people doing exercises that are a complete waste
of time for their current level of fitness.

It’s not that the exercises are bad per se…just poorly implemented. What are
they doing that makes me so mad? They are using ‘stabilizer’ and ‘balance’ type
exercises and drills that build very little muscle and burn very little fat to
help their clients “get in shape”. Yeah I get that these exercises are based in
‘science’ blah blah blah…but the reality of it is their clients look no better
today than they did 3 months ago.

Many gym goers blindly follow their trainer or the latest muscle mag-rag that
teaches them how to train like a juiced up bodybuilder. ‘But they say they are
natural.’ The reality is that the majority of all professional bodybuilders and
fitness models is that they are using steroids, HGH or a combination of those
along with other related performance enhancing drugs. Bodybuilders can actually
train less and gain more muscle because of those powerful hormones coursing
through their veins.

Case in point there is a particular bodybuilder at the gym who is about 220
lbs of ripped muscle, has a pencil neck, and lifts the heck out of 20 & 25
lb dumbbells. Doing set after set of concentration curls followed by wrist curls
like this guy isn’t going to make you a huge powerful beast… unless you’re on
the juice.  This guy looks like a tiger, but when it comes to moving real
iron he is really a kitten. I have yet to see him do anything other than curls
and some very light squats. I think that was his ‘heavy leg day’.

You may get a date or two and a set of half decent looking arms out of it…but
you will never have true overall strength and you will never have the kind of
explosive power that you will need as a grappling athlete.

So what is the solution?

The real world shows us that if you want to build muscle, lose fat, and be
more athletic you need to:
1. Perform multi-joint compound movements (lifts) to build solid muscle and strength.
2. Use actual resistance (weight) that will cause an adaptive response. That means lift heavier weight!
3. Consume fewer calories than you take in.

 If you follow those three steps you will actually build muscle and lose fat.
It’s so holy-crap simple I’m shocked that no one at the gym gets this…especially
the personal trainers! 

So what lifts should I do that fulfill those requirements?
1. The Power Lifts: Squat, Deadlift, and Bench.
2. The Olympic Lifts: The Clean and Jerk, and Snatches.

 Throughout my collegiate and international wrestling days I was fortunate
enough to have strength coaches who knew this. While at BYU our focus was on the
power lifts and Olympic lifts and their variations. While at the Olympic
training center (OTC) our focus was on the power lifts and Olympic lifts and
their variations. Now in my pursuit of grappling greatness I still focus on the
power lifts and Olympic lifts and their variations. 

At both BYU and the OTC we focused on the big movements first and included
the supplementary lifts and stabilizer movements as an addition to our workout.
We never did a strength training workout where supplementary lifts or stabilizer
movements were a workout unto themselves. These movements have their place but
as I’ve said before your strength building program should not revolve around
them. They should be a much smaller part of the bigger picture. 

Now that you have some real world information maybe you should take a look at
how your personal trainer is training you. It might be time to let them go. 

I hope this helps you on your quest for grappling greatness.

 See these exercises in action here!