Dchris's Grappling with Age

Yes! Good question and welcome feedback!

Last week, while working with that brown belt, we worked three things:

  • how to play my game, knowing points don’t matter. Resulting in me immediately pulling guard to DLR. We drilled that to start each round. (I feel very competent in DLR) I have 3 very solid sweeps depending on reaction
  • How to respond to stalling in my Z Guard, Closed Guard or half butterfly. This was very helpful for me. Because I usually get bored and force something and lose guard against skilled opponents
  • Finishing and defending from back control (he is very good with back attacks)

There’s a black belt who is killer with arm bars, I’m going to try to work with him in next two weeks to defend and finish them.

I really want to finish this in regular time. It’s one fight, so no reason in my mind to not leave it all out there. I don’t want to spend 2 minutes dancing before there’s a takedown. So, I’ll take the crap and pull guard to my strength. Which, is also DLR to their offside. I’m really good at forcing people to their right (my left), which is tough for most.

Looks like the price is changing around. I got it for $469 too.

Saturday
Morning weight: 231

2 mile jog

Belt squat
10x90
10x180
10x270
2x5x320

Leg Ext
3x15

5 Likes

Sunday

High incline press
10x135
7x155
3x5x175

  • my left pec is angry. Still happy enough, it’s 20 or so degrees from OHP and 2x175 was a recent PR

Tricep ext
5x15

Med ball carries
2x120yards w/150lb ball

  • incredibly sucky. Gravity feels like it’s turned to level 10, grip goes, biceps fried so squeezed harder but then can’t breathe because I’m pushing against lungs. Good time.
2 Likes

Monday

Morning BJJ

  • This is a beginner class, taught by a purple belt, with only white belts sans me
  • Spent today doing back and armbar defense. Which is perfect. Feel really good after today. Since we (they) were working defense, I was the one on offense
  • Began messing with truck position. Given my long legs and it’s not an ibjjf ruleset for my fight, I’m kicking around using this more.
  • was able to hit a bicep slicer from side control, where I trap their arm moving from N/S back to side control. It’s a great sub that may catch another blue belt.

Mid afternoon lift
Vertical Plane cable row
4x12

Horizontal plane cable row
4x12

Face pulls
4x12

Pull-ups
25

Ice bath. Body is feeling beat down today. So only solution is to keep going. Just picked up 5lbs of bbq. Will be eating well next two days.

2 Likes

Tuesday
Morning weight: 229.1! Finally cracked the 220s. Roughly 12-15lbs down from October

Seated OHP
2x20x95
2x15x115

BTN Press
2x15x115

Rack scrape
2x20x115

Cable press
3x10

Arnold press
3x10

  • First three exercises were done with 60 second rest and very quick reps
  • Final two were very slow eccentric with a 1sec hold at bottom
  • Have to keep pushing cut and training, so going to use higher rep schemes. I’ll feel it out, but no less than 10 reps
2 Likes

Wed:
Hit an impromptu session with a good friend. Rolled for an hour straight

Thur:
Mostly off. Played some basketball by myself, while kids were playing. Then did a bunch of toe to bars

Fri:
Awake at 130 with baby. She fell asleep at 430. I fell asleep at some point after, before she screamed at 501 and went back to sleep. Got up and went to morning class at 6. My back is STIFF. Not sure what I"m going to do this weekend. Took some BPC this morning with ice bath.

Morning weight was 227. Really happy with this. Would like to hit 224 by end of year, so it’s an easy 4-6lbs before Jan 17.

3 Likes

Took Saturday off to recover. Also over ate in the best way. Including 20 pcs of sushi and ramen for dinner.

Sunday
Morning weight: 234

Pushups
3xAMRAP 50/35/32

Cable flies
3x12

High incline bench
10x135
3x10x155

  • very good chest pump
  • I like flipping the order of exercise
  • Back is doing better, still fairly tight in morning, but loosens up throughout day
3 Likes

Still alive. Made a spontaneous trip to surprise in laws for Christmas. Ate way too much, but feel recovered and good. Probably needed. I didn’t drink, but partook on sweets. Arrived at home this evening weighing 238. I’m super dehydrated after driving 13 hours and have a full belly of Taco Bell and McDonald’s. 18 days to hit 222. 33 days to hit 218. I got this.

4 Likes

Tuesday

Pull-ups
30

Seated OHP
10x95
10x115
2x10x135

Arnold Press
2x10x50lbs

Lateral Raises
2x15

Triceps
2x15

  • pull-ups felt great. Feel like I’m moving well at this weight. First 3 sets were 3 reps. Then did sets of 6/7. Left room in tank. Just focusing on letting tension go at bottom and pulling with lats
  • Pressing feels strong too. Had reps in tank
  • Bar hangs were easy. I ended it because my rest period was up, instead of counting down seconds
  • Overall great pump. 7 days of rest and 4 days of indulging did my body well
  • going to a comp school open mat tomorrow, everyone is prepping for Dallas open at end of Jan. Should be good.
2 Likes

Morning Weight: 231 - Coming back down

Got 10 great rounds in today. A few highlights

  • Worked on refining technique. Making opponent carry weight, not rushing passes, baiting according to my A game and not playin ga lazy guard.
  • Rolled with Brown belt I’ve mentioned before. He pulled guard on me and locked me in closed guard. It’s pretty tough to break it, I haven’t been able to. HIs legs are nearly as long as mine and he latches on well. Very dangerous, as this is his game. Eventually, he went for Omnaplata. I sat up a bit, then hopped over him for side control as time expired. I would have won 5-0, with an advantage to him
  • Went with a purple belt who used to give me hell. Was my first roll when I started. He’s super technical. It’s been a few months since we last saw each other tho. I pulled him into DLR. He squared up and pushed me to Z Guard. I just kept the push-pull going, when I went for K Guard, he pushed me back to mat, and I did an arm drag on his far arm, took his back and submitted him. Felt damn good, since lots of people were watching
  • Rolled with the only purple I’ve never gotten close to scoring on… and well, he submitted me. haha
  • Also got a round with the black belt who runs this school. He’s a comp guy and former wrestler. Didn’t submit me once. Nor did he get passed my guard. We were sort of a stale mate in my half guard and him with both legs tied up. We both had two advantages, me wtih shoulder lock/straight arm bar from bottom and him with it from top (when I tried for K Guard). This was a real round, he just wasn’t being as aggressive. Dude would smoke me if he went for it.
  • had a round with a white belt, but brown in judo. I helped him with pressure and riding movement and he helped me with leg trips
  • Last one worth noting was against the last purple belt on my list I’ve never submitted (only two left that killed me when I first started). He smashed me hard in North/South. I finally escaped, inverted up over him and had 8 seconds left when I worked for a straight arm armbar. Didn’t get it, but we were both exhausted

Very good day of eating and training. Need to wake up early tomorrow for jog and leg workout.

4 Likes

Thursday

Morning weight: 229

Got up at 6am

1 mile jog

Belt Squat
2x10x90
3x10x180

Leg ext
5x20

Toe to bar
30

  • kept things light with slow reps
  • Pretty good quad pump and separation during leg ext.
4 Likes

Honestly can’t remember what I’ve done, but I did train or workout every day since last update. Weight has been around 228-229. Starting to ratchet down calories and carbs as I get closer.

One highlight from workouts has been addition of heavy KB swings. On back day, I started with six sets of 25 swings with 80lb bell and 3 paused pull-ups after each set.

1 Like

Monday

Hard day. First day back to work after six weeks off for paternity leave. During my 1-1 with my boss, he laid me off. I have six weeks to find a new job. Not really sure what to do with myself.

Truly sorry to hear this. I can’t even imagine …

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Couldn’t get myself to unwind. Threw the 40lb vest on and went for a 5 mile walk. Tried to hit the big hill as much as I could. Essentially snaked the neighborhood streets.

Then hit 2x3 dead hang pull-ups with vest. Followed by 1 minute hang with a pull up at 30 seconds and 1 minute.

Feel pretty good to be able to do that with vest.

3 Likes

Brutal way to start work in 2025 - hoping there’s plenty of options out there in your line of work!?

Thanks.. I was so caught off guard. Stone cold for the whole call.. cause he couldn’t wait until next week when I see him in person.

I do corp strategy, strategy & operations, operational efficiency work. Essentially PowerPoint and excel monkey.

Not sure what’s next. I’m not being fired, per se. just not a good fit and laid off if I can’t find something in 6 weeks. I still have 15.5 more weeks of leave. I’m at loss right now.

1 Like

Oh scheit… Good luck to you.

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I’m so sorry to hear this, but doors get closed for a reason. There’s a better door for you. Hang in there - “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”

Sending hugs and prayers.

3 Likes

And you can now justify a roll at every session at BJJ (between job applications that is).

1 Like

Thanks everyone. Been a hard-weird few days. Haven’t trained BJJ at all due to working late trying to find a role and then snowmageddon closing everything.

Morning weight has been between 225-227. So striking distance to the 225 I have to weigh on 1/17 and 222 on 2/1.

Diet will ramp up starting today. Less carbs, high fat and protein.

Only training highlights for now, but bit 4x2x40lb vest for pull-ups. First time since college really doing weighted pull-ups.

4 Likes