WEDNESDAY
BW: 146.6 lbs
waist: 32 1/2"
Easy Strength W7 D2
Warmup
Goblet squat 65 lbs 2 x 5 superset with box jumps 2 x 5
Deadlift
135 lbs x 5
185 lbs x 3
205 lbs 3 x 3
superset with HLRs/HKRs 3 x 6
OHP
bar x 10
75 lbs x 8
92.5 lbs 2 x 5
superset with pullups
+55 lbs 2 x 5
Loaded carry
Farmers two 50 lbs DBs
3 x 60 steps
THURSDAY
BW: 148.8 lbs
waist: 33"
Easy Strength W7 D3
Warmup
Goblet squat 65 lbs 2 x 5 superset with broad jumps 2 x 5
Deadlift
135 lbs x 5
185 lbs x 3
205 lbs x 5
220 lbs x 3
230 lbs x 2
superset with HLRs/HKRs 3 x 6
OHP
bar x 10
75 lbs x 8
92.5 lbs x 5
102.5 lbs x 3
107.5 lbs x 2
superset with pullups
+47.5 lbs x 5
+52.5 lbs x 3
+57.5 lbs x 2
Loaded carry
Pinch grip two 25 lb regular plates
3 x 60 steps
FRIDAY
BW: 148.0 lbs
waist: 33 1/4"
Easy Strength W7 D4
Warmup
Goblet squat 65 lbs 2 x 5 superset with box jumps BW 2 x 5
Deadlift
135 lbs x 5
185 lbs x 3
210 lbs 3 x 3
superset with HLRs/HKRs BW 3 x 6
OHP
bar x 10
75 lbs x 8
95 lbs 2 x 5
superset with pullups +50 lbs 2 x 5
Loaded carry
Zercher - two 45 lb plates
3 x 60 steps
Thursday Night Jiu-Jitsu
Worked with the white belts on some of the techniques from Tuesday night, largely helping them deal with open guards and inversion. Encouraged one student to practice front and back rolls to develop the body sense to invert properly. Always a rewarding time when I’m working with new folks. My fantasy is to run a white-belt only class after I retire - assuming I don’t have to work until I’m 70!
Got to do a little specific training/flow rolling in the first class, focusing on the open guard. Enjoyed pulling my tripod guard out of the shed and taking it for a spin.
Two six minute rolls during the live trading - and I’m old enough to remember when it was closer to four eight-minute rolls! Working on a few basic guard pass principles: breaking connections, control at the ankle and knee rather than grabbing the pants, lateral motion, etc. Trying to turn any roll with a white or blue belt into a guard/pass guard specific training situation - especially if I get a submission early in the round.
Will build on this for next week. Also studying Danaher’s lessons on handfighting to continue and improve my back attack.
MONDAY
BW: 148.8 lbs
waist: 33"
Easy Strength W7 D5
Warmup
Goblet squat 65 lbs 2 x 5 superset with broad jumps BW 2 x 5
Deadlift
135 lbs x 5
185 lbs x 3
210 lbs 3 x 3
superset with HLRs/HKRs BW 3 x 6
OHP
bar x 10
75 lbs x 8
95 lbs 2 x 5
superset with pullups +50 lbs 2 x 5
Loaded carry
Mixed carry (OH 25 lb DB + Farmers 50 lb DB)
3 x 60 steps
Combining Easy Strength’s set and rep scheme with Thibaudeau’s exercise preferences in his “two-exercise workout for size” program has produced this Frankenstein I will soon follow to the end of the year. Will do three days a week instead of five or four now that I’m back to training jiu-jitsu regularly, and want to return to regular cardio/film study twice a week. Starting next Monday, this will give me three cycles (two weight increases) between now and late December.
TUESDAY
BW: 149 lbs
waist: 33"
Easy Strength W8 D1
Warmup
Goblet squat 65lbs 2 x 5 superset with box jumps BW 2 x 5
Deadlift
135 lbs x 5
185 lbs x 3
210 lbs 3 x 3
superset with HLRs/HKRs BW 3 x 6
OHP
bar x 10
75 lbs x 8
95 lbs 2 x 5
superset with pullups +50 lbs 2 x 5
Loaded carry
OH two 25 lb DBs
3 x 60 steps
Actually ended up training with one of the trainers at the gym, Coach Vic, who’s the only coach at my gym who regularly trains folks with barbells. A great guy - and very generous with his tips and cues.
In fact, I’m second guessing my decision to change programs next week. I’ve got so many good new cues to work on for both the OHP and deadlift after one session with the Coach, it would be a shame to waste it by switching to a program that won’t have me doing OHPs and deadlifts until January at the earliest.
Tuesday Night Jiu-Jitsu
Good training tonight. We’ve started a GB1 beginner class on Tuesday nights that runs at the same time as the regular intermediate class - a great idea. One of our top brown belts, and a guy I used to train with quite a bit pre-COVID, is running it and doing a nice job according to early reports.
I got in some drilling and specific training with another black belt I remember training with quite a bit in the Before Times. About 12 minutes of drilling and specific, followed by a six minute roll during the Live Training session afterward, a little tutorial roll with one of the newer white belts, then another six minute roll with the first guy, a spirited white belt.
Worked a lot on my arm-wrap guard. There were some opportunities for kimura and omoplata attacks that I missed; I’ll have to keep an eye open for them. I’ve gotten more armbars in training since I’ve returned to training than I ever did before. Strange, because I’m always hunting for chokes. But, then again, attacking with chokes is a great way to access the arms …
Trying to channel my inner Gordon Ryan by being patient and consistent, remaining calm when under threat. Also trying to slowly bring my Live Training time up. I’m flirting with the idea of returning to competition in 2023, and I’ve got a lot of work to do in order to feel ready for that. The first event would be an intramural Gracie Barra tournament (CompNet) in March. I’ve got a bunch of vacation time to burn before the end of the year and will look to take off a few Mondays and Fridays from now until the end of the year in order to add some day classes to my schedule.
WEDNESDAY
BW: 148.0 lbs
waist: 32 12"
Easy Strength W8 D2
Warmup
Goblet squat 65 lbs 2 x 5 superset with broad jumps BW 2 x 65
Deadlift
135 lbs x 5
185 lbs x 3
210 lbs x 1
225 lbs x 1
235 lbs x 1
245 lbs x 1
255 lbs x 1
265 lbs x 1
superset with HLRs/HKRs BW 6 x 6
OHP
bar x 10
75 lbs x 8
95 lbs x 1
100 lbs x 1
105 lbs x 1
110 lbs x 1
115 lbs x 1 (!)
120 lbs x 1 (!)
superset with pullup singles
+50 lbs x 1
+55 lbs x 1
+60 lbs x 1
+65 lbs x 1
+70 lbs x 1
+75 lbs x 1
Loaded carry
Farmers two 50 lb DBs
3 x 60 steps
Still working out the kinks of my deadlift and OHP. Still finding things tougher above 260 lbs in the deadlift and above 115 lbs in the OHP. One strange issue with the deadlift is that I think I psychologically feel as if I should be finishing with the bar higher on my body. It causes me to shrug a bit on the finish. Again, more reason to do another round of Easy Strength to finish off the year.
THURSDAY
BW: 150 lbs
waist: 33"
Easy Strength W8 D3
Warmup
Goblet squat 65 lbs 2 x 5 superset with box jumps BW 2 x 5
Deadlift
135 lbs x 5
185 lbs x 3
205 lbs x 10
superset with HLRs/HKRs BW 1 x 10
OHP
bar x 10
75 lbs x 8
90 lbs x 10
superset with pullups
+45 lbs x 10
Loaded carries
Pinch grip | two 25 lb bumper plates
3 x 60 steps
Everything felt heavy today. Even the loaded carries. I’ve been doing some late night anxiety eating this week, which has pushed my weight back to the red zone (< 150 lbs) and may be sapping my drive. Hopefully some days off and some discipline will get me back on track.
Jiu-jitsu training tonight. Plenty of things to work on: taking a sharper angle on my arm wrap guard, attacking with the kimura and omoplata from that improved angle, as well as Eddie Bravo’s Triangle; X-guard entry from tripod guard …
Thursday Night Jiu Jitsu
Lifting sluggishness carried over into jiu-jitsu training. But fortunately I managed to pair up with a white belt early enough in the session to get some good movement in - especially from the back which is a huge priority for me (attack and defense). We could do variations on this week’s back takes for months and I would still be ready for more. As I’ve learned from lifting, I’m minimalist-oriented when it comes to skills work. I could do the same stuff over and over forever.
Spent a little more time wrestling than I would have liked during my Live Training roll with the same spirited white belt I’ve rolled with more than a time or two. It’s good practice to avoid using too much energy to achieve control positions; he’s got a great gas tank and is all accelerator. I also need to start moving “up the chain” and finishing more frequently from my dominant positions, especially mount. I tend to get to the mount more often than the back. But I finish from the back far more often than I do from the mount. That would be one thing if I was training no gi. But there are plenty of ways to finish from the mount in the gi.
Also had a good tutorial roll with a white belt I’ve helped before. I shared my Leandro Lo leg lasso sweep, effective against guard passers who put their legs too close together. It may be a bit much for now, but I hope she gives it a shot.
Learned an interesting entry into the X-guard in class awhile back that confused me for a while because I knew it wasn’t a de a Riva hook or an ashi garami/single leg X, but I couldn’t figure out consistently what it was. Finally got it a few days ago and I’m looking forward to trying it as part of a tripod guard setup: threading the knee on the foot on the hip leg behind the guard passer’s leg, using the heel grip to set up the underhook, the cross sleeve grip to off balance, and the lower hook keeping the “door” open.
FRIDAY
BW: 149.6 lbs
waist: 33 1/2"
Easy Strength W8 D4
Warmup
Goblet squat 65 lbs 2 x 5 superset with broad jumps BW 2 x 5
Deadlift
135 lbs x 5
185 lbs x 3
215 lbs 3 x 3
superset with HLRs/HKRs BW 3 x 6
OHP
bar x 10
75 lbs x 8
100 lbs 2 x 5
superset with pullups
+55 lbs 2 x 5
Loaded carry
Zercher | two 45 lb bumper plates
3 x 60 steps
Fine workout. Still trying to incorporate 5-6 new cues from my training with the gym coach (Coach Vic on Insta if you’re interested). Felt weak all week and weight has been drifting higher due to poor food choices and timing. For two out of the past three years, August to November has been a major weight-gaining time, peaking in February. I’m trying to avoid that syndrome this year.
Woke up at 150.8 lbs, with a 33" waist. It could have been worse. How much worse? Two words: Beer Junction.
Will do the final workout of the program tomorrow - and then start it all over again. I’m going to keep the weights where they are and, instead, try and optimize out-of-gym factors like nutrition and sleep and see if my performance improves. I’ll also have the tips and cues from Coach Vic to put to work.
After some debate, I think I’ll stick to 5x/week weight training rather than drop to 3x. I’ll do my film study on the weekends. Because I’ll be going to sleep sooner than I have historically, I won’t bother trying to do post-training cardio Tuesday and Thursday nights.
Specifically, here are my targets for optimization:
Hydration: at least 48 ounces of pure water (not water in shakes) a day
Protein: at least 135g of protein a day
Sleep: Lights out by 10pm, Wake up at 6am
I’m trying out a new hack to stop my evening binge-eating - something I read in the New York Times, of all places. We’ll see what happens: it could kill two or even three birds with one stone if it works.
Hey man, what do you find are your best/most consistent techniques for BJJ? Ever since I’ve started I’ve pretty much always had the same main 1 or 2 takedowns, passes and submissions and have just been focusing on improving them and getting them to work from different positions/situations but I do see a LOT of people who seem to focus on many areas all at once.
As someone who’s been in the game and seen trends come and go, is it common for people to get sucked in to trying to do too many fancy moves and not enough basics?
MONDAY
BW: 151.0 lbs
waist: 33 1/2"
Easy Strength W8 D5
Warmup
1.5 miles / 186 calories / 26 minutes
Deadlift
135 lbs x 5
185 lbs x 3
215 lbs x 5
225 lbs 2 x 3
235 lbs 3 x 2
superset with HLRs/HKRs BW 3 x 6
OHP
bar x 10
75 lbs x 8
100 lbs x 5
105 lbs 2 x 3
110 lbs 3 x 2
superset with pullups
+55 lbs x 5
+60 lbs 2 x 3
+65 lbs 3 x 2
Gym was very crowded, never seen that many people in the barbell section. One of the trainers was using the box jump box as a table for her stopwatch. Not great start, and ended up in a squat rack after about 25 minutes. Did broad jumps instead of box jumps at the start and cut out the loaded carries at the end since I was running half an hour late.
That’s a wrap for the first round of Easy Strength. Not so easy at this end of the program. But I’m going to run it again to finish out the year. The only change I’m going to make for sure is swapping in chin-ups for pull-ups, and do more bandwork between sets for my shoulders. May do L-sits instead of HLRs, just for variety.
In a medium-grade panic over my weight gain over the past few weeks. There are some not terrible reasons for putting back on the pounds I lost in early September due to illness and travel. But there are some terrible ones, as well. That’s the priority for the next round of Easy Strength: the weights will stay the same, but nutrition and recovery need to progress.
The short answer, in my opinion, is “yes.”
Now for the long answer: In defense of the average jiu-jitsu student/practitioner, most training sessions are structured as “classes” in which “lessons” are taught. The lessons change weekly, if not daily - our academy (the biggest I suspect) rotates a set of lessons every 15 weeks or so.
So the incentive is to see training jiu-jitsu as a learning-based process of accumulation rather than as an experience-based process of refinement.
Of course, this is critical at the white belt (0-2 years) stage, and important at the blue belt (2-4 years) stage. But how much so after that?
I remember when I was first training how shocked I was to see purple and brown belts show up “after” class for the Live Training session only. I understand why now.
That said, some folks seem to like doing a lot of different things - and this learning-based approach works just fine for them. It can also work for school owners, especially those looking to expand. It’s easier to scale teachers than coaches.
For me, I’ve realized that I spent far more time accumulating techniques over 15+ years of training compared to the amount of time refining favorite or best practices. Most of my training now is dedicated to fixing this.
Yeah I think I get what you mean. For classes I use them as an opportunity to learn the movements, and live training to work my ‘A Game’ or most obvious/recent weakness. Thanks for the detailed reply man
I think that’s the perfect approach.
Haha we’ll see in 10-15 years time I guess
TUESDAY
BW: 150.4 lbs
waist: 33 3/4"
Cardio
Incline treadmill walk
1.75 miles / 216 calories / 30:08 minutes
As is typical from me on the eve of new program move - a last minute switch.
Starting Wednesday, I’ll be doing a variation of Thibaudeau’s Strength Skill circuits. I’ll only be doing three lifts - deadlift, chin-up, overhead press - and I’ll only train them three times a week. Twice a week on jiu-jitsu training days I’ll do LSD cardio with some film study for at least half of it. And maybe once a week on Saturday mornings, I’ll do something short and spicy like row sprints and that kettlebell workout I used to do with dumbbells.
BJJ tonight. Looking to tighten up arm wrap guard attacks (Roger film study), retaining back (Danaher film study), X-guard transition from tripod guard, finishing from mount.
