I just turned 38, and have been training for a little better than a year and a half. Here’s the basic breakdown.
Spend my 20’s and part of my 30’s in terrible shape, and eventually got to be 370 lbs.
When I was 33 or 34, I saw a picture of my fat ass holding my little girl and I knew I was going to stroke out soon.
Lost 160 pounds over the course of the next year, and lost 175 total…all before jiu jitsu. It was all diet, running, biking, and lifting.
The reason I mention the weight loss is not so I can hear any “atta boys”…but rather to put forth the disclaimer that I basically took my 20’s off, so perhaps I am in a position where I recover more quickly than the average 30 something who has always been active. Either way, here’s how it all goes for me.
Train at the JJ gym 4 times a week (Mon, Tue, Thurs, and Sat) for 1.5 hour sessions
Lift twice per week (Mon and Wed) for an hour. Typically med weight at high reps…all in the name of jits…muscular endurance. When I work out chest, I use a 55lb plate and do 16 circles to the left (imaginer dancing the cabbage patch), 16 circles to the right, 16 over circles (like setting the weight onto a high shelf), 16 under circles (like setting the weight onto a low shelf), and 16 twist presses (left, right, left, right, etc.). I do this at decline, flat, and incline (plus a high include if I am also working shoulders that day). That’s 240 – 320 reps depending on the day. Not huge weight, but it’s muscular endurance and it doesn’t seem to eat my body up when I’m doing it. I do lots of body weight exercises (pull-ups, push ups, dips, etc.) as well. To look at me, you probably wouldn’t even guess that I lift at all…but to tie up with me is to realize that I’m actually pretty strong, and I can keep that strength up decently as well. About one month out of the year I will change it up and do all this same stuff, but at low reps and higher weight.
Cycle or run twice per week. I have a road bike, so I will ride 15-20 miles typically once a week. I will run 3.5 – 4 miles once per week. This is all subject to change depending on the situation. I run a 10K each year, and it takes me a while to train for it. When I am training for the 10K, I run twice per week and increasing mileage. Or, right now for instance, my right knee and right ankle are both a little bit hurt, so it has been cycling more instead of running. I can run…I just hate to get super far from the house if my injuries were to flare up. No sense in being a tough guy and jacking myself up. I’ll just have to build back up to my 3.5 - 4 mile runs when my shit gets healed up.
Sundays I do a hard 20 minute leg workout on the street in front of my garage. 12 – 15 sprints (about 30 yards), walk back to the starting point and immediately sprint again. Platform jumps (I haven’t measured the platform, but it’s prob 2.5 – 2.75 feet high). Lunges, sideways lunges, backward lunges, etc. One legged semi-bent standing balance. All this in the name of leg / knee stability. I had to skip Sunday before last due to the knee and ankle, but I got back on pace this Sunday. Figured I would just give it a try and guess what…ankle and knee held up just fine…didn’t even swell afterwards.
Try to eat healthy. It’s hard. My diet changes a bit depending on what exercise routine I have. Days I lift weights I will eat low sodium albacore tuna mixed with plain greek yogurt + a little salsa (to make it palatable) for lunch (32 grams of protein), but on days I know I am going to run or bike I will eat the tuna with avocado instead (I think the fats are good for your joints). It gets more involved, but you get the idea. The better you eat, the better you will feel, and the better your body will respond.
Dealing with soreness. The first 6 or 7 moths I did jits my shoulders hurt something awful…I mean all the time too. I had trouble sleeping even…every time I rolled over in bed the pain would wake me up. I wasn’t sure I could continue to take it. I even took a week off to no avail. However, like they have done since the caveman days…I Goggled that shit. Found a million suggestions, but I eventually found a great shoulder stretching routines that alleviated my shoulder pain almost completely. When I lift…the days I do shoulders I will use a pool cue in between sets to help stretch out my shoulders. I stretch them before, during, and after jits as well…not for a super long time…just enough to keep them loose. Regular soreness…some days I feel like my ass has been way more kicked than other days. When I get home from jits and I know I’m going to be sore all night, I will eat a BC powder before I go to bed. I don’t make this a habit…only on those nights I know Im gonna be hurting. At any rate…trying to keep everything stretched and “fit” seems to be a key for me.
Dealing with injuries. I broke a rib last year, and I had to just take notes for like 3 weeks and roll really light for 2 more. I seem to always be busting up a knee, an ankle, and wrist, a hand, etc. I’ll use Advil and ice when an injury is new, but as I heal I just have to wrap it up (or brace it up) and roll with the knowledge that I may have to tap extra early (I usually tap pretty early anyway…no need for any more injuries). The good news…if your dominant knee is screwed up and you can’t play rubber guard with it, you will be forced to play rubber guard with your other leg. If your elbow already hurts like hell, it will teach you to T-rex a little better. I think it can actually help you explore new facets. I never played butterfly guard until I hurt my rib, but as I was healing and I was afraid of being lifted and dropped on it, I started sitting on my butt a lot more. Freakin’ love BF guard now.
I know this is probably way more info than you needed, and it may or may not even be what you were looking for. I can tell you this though. I typically compete in the men’s division instead of the masters division (they rarely have enough people in the masters division), and I do alright for myself. When we roll at the gym, I roll until the rolling is done. My body holds up pretty well for the most part. I can’t really tell you if my recuperation time is comparable to what is was in my 20s, because I don’t really have that point of reference. I know that I compete pretty regularly, I rarely miss jits class, and my body only hurts a little bit all the time lol.
Hope this helps man. …sorry so long winded.
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Originally Posted by Chris Garry
