6am BJJ Class: Drilled armdrags from butterfly guard to take the back and some hand fighting to get the rear naked choke. It was coming along pretty smoothly.
PM:
Ran 1.5 miles
Circuit of pull ups, dips, push ups, inverted rows x 3
Hill sprints x 10
Ran 1.5 miles
After I ran, I did some curls and some grip work
BJJ Class:
Drilled guillotines from standing and half guard for an hour. I stayed after for an hour and did mit drills and sparred (kickboxing) with the instructor, Jessie. All of the drilling that I have done in my garage has paid off well in my striking. My offense was really good but my defense needs a lot of work.
After class I ran 5 kilometers on a steep, hilly trail. There was one serious climb that damn near killed me but I pushed through and made it happen.
Today I was down to 260lbs 
Bench Press:
135x15
185x12
225x10
245x6
225x6
Shoulder was bothering me a bit so I quit benching.
Band Assisted Pull Ups
2 bands x 15
1 band x 5
0 bands x 3
1 band x 4
2 bands x 8
Heavy bag and shadow boxing x 20ish minutes
Walked around the park with my daughter for about an hour after that and did some dips and pushups. I felt really tired and weak today.
I have had insomnia, lethargy, irritability and felt weak and slow when training as of late. I think I have started to reach a point of over training so I am going to just do yoga and walk today. I also wonât restrict calories.
Walked a little over 3 miles in 57 minutes.
Bench Press:
135x10
185x10
245x5x2
Pullups:
5x2
Deadlift:
315x2x5
Squat:
275x2x5
DB Curls:
35âsx3x10
DB Forearm Curls:
35âsx3x10
DB Forearm Extension:
35âsx3x10
Neck Harness Extension:
20x3x10
Ab Wheel:
3x15
Jog:
5K:30 minutes
Shadowbox:
30 minutes
I generally train fasted, but today I had eggs and toast beforehand which made A WORLD of difference. I dialed back the weights a lot and am going to bery slowly work them back up.
Lofty, what are you doing for shoulder mobility/prefab? My experience is that shoulder mobility is a common problem for combat athletes due to so much internal rotation of the shoulders, so much constant emphasis on keeping the arms in a strong ROM, and so little use of full ROM in the shoulder joint. Combine that with heavy Benching and rowing without giving adequate attention to shoulder health/mobility/prefab and itâs a recipe for long term problems.
Your shoulder bothering you is like smoke warning you that there is impending fire on the horizon if you donât pay attention and/or change course.
I stop lifting if I feel ANY level of discomfort aside from regular lactic acid buildup so please bear in mind that the pain was very, very mild; around a 1-2 on the pain scale. The problem in my right shoulder is bicipital tendonosis which pops up on occasion due to the reasons you mentioned. Before training I roll out the biceps tendon with a lacrosse ball while I move the humerus from front to back and with my forearm moving from flexed to extended. Then I hang from a pullup bar for a couple minutes and try to keep my shoulder girdle as relaxed as possible. I sway slightly from side to side to get a stretch in my lats and coracobrachialis, then I do door stretches with elbows bent and humerus externally rotated to stretch the pec minor without putting too much pressure on the anterior labral capsule. Then I do some weighted external rotations and band pull aparts before I lift. After I lift I do static stretches and rub diclofenac on my shoulder to reduce swelling. If the shoulder bothered me during the workout at all I will ice it. If it actually HURT I will go see my chiro who is usually able to get it to chill out in 1 or 2 visits.
Even a very low grade pain means that there is a deficit in joint preparation. That you get Biceps tendonosis (even just occasionally) again means you have problems and are neglecting your Prehab/joint preparation work.
I also noticed that in your list of stretches and Prehab work you have zero shoulder extension work; probably a large contributor to your biceps tendon issues.
Try this stretch out, sit down, externally rotate the shoulders, retract the scapulae, and then with palms on the floor and elbows straight bring your hands together behind your back until your pinkies touch. If you are successful try to either walk your hands back into shoulder extension or walk your hips forwards (also bringing you further into shoulder extension). Healthy shoulders should be able to get to 90 degrees of shoulder âextensionâ (technically, this is âhyperextensionâ of the shoulder in anatomical terms) with the elbows locked and pinkies touching.
Here is a picture of what it should look like (hopefully it works, havenât attached a picture on these forums in ages and am unfamiliar with the new interface):
I also here is an article by a Nationally ranked Strongwoman competitorâs story of her experience with her foray into Gymnastic Strength Training and the subsequent lessons she learned, weaknesses she discovered and helped to shore up, and finally success returning back to the lifting world while utilizing her new found knowledge and joint preparation.
Thanks for that, I will add that stretch into the static stretches I do post training. This bicipital tendonosis has been bothering me for 5+ years. It has gotten a lot better in the last 6 months but is still sometimes present.
AM BJJ Class:
We drilled the north south choke and then drilled passing the guard, getting to side control, controlling the near side arm and then setting up the north south choke with 2 hands or with just 1 hand and the opposite hand pushing against your opponentâs thigh to stop them from circling with you and preventing the choke. It felt like a very natural technique to me and I was able to tap some guys with it while rolling. I also allowed a guy to get mount on me and then I escaped by establishing a single leg X guard, sweeping him and then submitting him with a straight ankle lock. I did really well this morning and I could tell that running has helped to bump up my conditioning to the next level. Hopefully that trend continues.
PM Weights:
Overhead Press:
45x10
95x10
135x3x3
Chin Ups
3x3
Pull Ups
2x2
Barbell Curl
75x3x10
Barbell Wrist Curl
75x3x15
Barbell Wrist Extension
75x3x15
4-Way Neck Bend w/ Resistance Bands
3x10,10,10,10
Hanging Leg Raises
3x10
Grip Trainer
150x10x10
Running:
2.3 miles in 23 minutes.
Training felt good this afternoon. I didnât go heavy on anything and didnât push hard on my run, either. My weight loss has stalled since I have added in running; I think I have done too much training with not enough food for too long so I will have a big cheat night tonight and then I will eat at a small surplus for a week to get things moving again. Every 20 or so pounds I have to reset, gain 5 pounds back, and then go back to cutting.
Turns out, I canât even touch my pinkies behind my back without bending my elbows. A big part of this is the width of my back, though. My back is by far the most muscularly developed part of my body, especially my lats. When I try to put my hands behind me my triceps press into them before my hands get very far behind me. With that being said, my shoulders were super tight in that range of movement and I could really feel it in my biceps tendons. I will definitely keep at it, thanks for the suggestion.
BJJ Class
Went to the noon class and got tooled up by some black belts for 5 rounds in a row. Then I rolled with a guy that is a tough roll but with whom I usually wind up with the upper hand. Today his game was basically running away from me constantly which was annoying. It was no gi so keeping him put was more difficult. Then I rolled with a guy who was really new and just let him put me in shitty spots and defended his submission attempts. Then I spent a round showing him how to single leg smash pass.
Running: 2 kilometers
Circuit:
10 push ups
10 inverted rows
10 sit ups
3 hill sprints
I did this circuit for 5 rounds. It was pretty tough.
Walked 2km home because my left achilles tendon was hurting a little. I tried running in minimalist shoes again which was stupid. Everytime I run in them my calves hurt like hell.
There is a place here where they map your running gait and then give you the right shoes for you, I will go there when I get paid next and get some proper running shoes.
Incline DB Press
80âsx5x10
Bent Over DB Row
80âsx5x10
Landmine Press
65x5x10
Meadows Row
65x5x10
Between sets I shadow boxed with no kicks and did some old school karate hand conditioning on a cement block and shin conditioning with an oak dowel. My hands and shins arenât as tough as they used to be! This turned out to be more of an exercise in mental toughness than anything.
Not saying your back isnât very developed, but itâs not to blame for your inability to touch your pinkies, your tight Biceps and Chest (especially Pec Minor) are. Lots of people who are much less muscular than you canât either when they first try (especially men). Keep at it.
Also, the order of importance/progression should go:
elbows straight (regardless of width)
externally rotate shoulders and retract shoulder blades
work on bringing hands together till pinkies touch
work on increasing shoulder angle to improve extension at the shoulder joint
Good luck.
Today was the last day of my deload. I did not train at all and I feel bloated, fat and somewhat lethargic. I cant wait to get back at it next week!
Myofascial release, mobility drills, static stretching
Bench Press
45x10
135x10
185x8
225x6
245x4
255x5x2
Pull ups
BWx3
BWx4x2
Deadlift
225x5
325x2x5
Squat
45x10
135x5
225x5
285x2x5
DB Concentration Curls
35x3x11
DB Wrist Curls
35x3x11
DB Seated Scott Curls
15x3x11
Head Harness Extension
20x3x20
Ab Wheel Rollout
BWx3x16
Jump Rope: 2x1.5 min
Shadowbox: 3x3 min
Heavybag: 3x3 min
Jog: 3 km
During shadow boxing and bag work I focused on throwing a combo, slipping, countering and then getting out with a quarter turn and a jab. Mostly this was jab, cross, hook, duck and step to the right, jab, cross, quarter turn out of range and reset. I would really try to throw that last cross and get my torso turned into it. Stepping with the duck really loads my rear leg and I can throw a monster of a cross from there. The trick to it laid in where my feet were placed after the duck so I did a lot of these very slowly and deliberately at first. By the end, the combo felt much smoother; although, obviously it was not perfect. I was at least able to keep good balance, throw my punches clean and quick and finish with a bomb.
Lifting was easy, nothing heavy. Jump rope was a bitch like no other. The run wasnât much more than a cool-down. I finished with mobility work, stretching and foam rolling everything for the length of a whole movie. I am finding that almost all the problems in my lower body stem from having tight hip flexors.
@Sentoguy do you have any magic stretches or drills for this?
Monday noon BJJ
There was no technique today, just round after round of rolling for an hour and a half. I was whooped by the end of it. I kicked some asses and got my ass kicked a few
Tuesday 6am BJJ Class
Drilled leg dragging to pass the guard and going to knee on belly or reverse knee on belly.
PM:
Overhead Press
45x10
95x10
140x3x3
Chin up
BWx4
BWx2x3
Pull up
BWx2x2
Barbell Curl
75x3x11
Barbell Wrist Curls
75x3x11
Barbell Scott Curls
45x3x11
4-Way Neck Pulls w/ Resistance Band
3,11, 11, 11, 11
Hanging Leg Raise
3x16
If I have time:
Kickboxing drills of some sort 30 min or
Run 5k in 30 min
There are no magic pills Iâm afraid.
But, some very good stretches include:
Couch stretch/bent leg lunge stretch
Cobra/seal stretch
One thing to note about Static stetching to improve flexibility/ROM is that it requires quite a bit more volume/time under tension than most people devote to it. If you are very tight I would suggest holding each stretch for anywhere from 90-120 seconds and doing at least 2 repetitions (per side if you are doing a unilateral stretch like the couch stretch). I would also recommend only doing this 1-2 times per week as connective tissue (like fascia) recovers at a slower rate than muscle tissue.
One other thing that actually made a significant noticeable difference for my hip flexors was a psoas ârelease.â
To do it you will need a foam roller, a pillow (technically you donât but it makes it way more comfortable), some floor space and some time.
Place the foam roller on the floor so that one end is wedged against something sturdy (a wall, the base of a couch, etcâŠ), then place the pillow on the other end of the roller so that it visions the end (you can go either lengthwise or widthwise depending on preference and size of your pillow).
Next lay down on your back with your head on the roller and the end of the roller approximately between your shoulder blades, legs straight out in front of you. Now just stay there, usually for a while especially when you first start (Iâve spent a half hour in that position on several occasions). Your first goal is going to be to get your lower back down on the floor with the legs still on the ground. At first your hips will likely want to externally rotate (toes will turn turn out) as that decreases the stretch on the psoas, let them. Eventually over the course of a few days/weeks your psoas will replease more and more and your hips will naturally rotate back to neutral (toes pointed straight up) with the legs straight, flat on the floor, and lower back flat on the floor.
This release is safe to do every day as well. It took me a little over a week of doing it every night before I had my back flat, legs flat, and toes pointed at the ceiling. The results were pretty dramatic in terms of ârib flare,â ability to Posterior Pelvic tilt, abdominal activation, and glute contraction. Now I only do it periodically and instead do more traditional mobility/strength work to keep them limber and help to improve flexibility, but definitely feel that this release has made a huge difference in how efffective those exercises have become vs doing them before doing this release.
Try it out and let me know how it goes. If itâs not clear let me know.
I have been stretching for several short sessions every day which has helped some. I need to keep it up (probably indefinitely).
Yesterday AM:
BJJ class for 1 hour. We drilled estima (spl?) locks and straight ankle locks off of different failed guard passes. The straight ankle lock is starting to feel a lot more comfortable.
Boxing for 1 hour. I tend to kick a lot so I limited myself to only using punches. I did mit work for several rounds with the same combo (1,2,3, duck, side step, 1,2) and did slipping drills for a few rounds (slip, slip, duck, side step, catch the left glove, big right cross)
This morning:
I ran for 30 minutes. It was a great run. I didnât feel very tired at any point despite the wind blowing really hard in my face for most of the run.
Tonight:
Strength training of some sort. Probably just 1 lift and then a bunch of bodyweight stuff, grip training and maybe some shadow boxing/bag work.
Bench Press
45x20
135x10
225x5
265x5x2
Pullup
BWx2x3
BWx3x2
Deadlift
225x5
335x2x5
Squat
135x10
225x5
295x2x5
Concentration Curl
35x3x12
Ab wheel rollout
BWx3x17
Neck Extension
25x3x20
Run
3 miles
Run
4.2 miles
Shadow box
3 rounds
Heavy bag
3 rounds
My striking has been getting a lot better lately. I have been focusing on footwork and hsad movement a lot but I have made big strides in improving my punches. I now understand how to turn my hand over on the jab and straight right, how to make those straight punches âsnapâ like a whip and how to sit down on them to get a heavy follow through. I have also been developing different types of jabs varying in speed, power and angle. On top of all this, my conditioning and stamina have improved drastically. All of this work is really starting to payoff.
