I have been squating and deadlifting pretty heavy as well as trying to become very flexible for Jiu Jitsu. I have been taking this approach for about 3-4 months seen a little flexibility but i expected more. Not sure if i should stop going heavy and go for more reps to become very flexible any input would be great…
Strength is not all that important in BJJ.
[quote]sardines12 wrote:
Strength is not all that important in BJJ.[/quote]
Why open that can of worms…even when the OP himself is not addressing it???
He’s asking about lifting affecting his flexibility. Come on,man.
So far i feel it helps me a lot to have good strength…and yes i just really would like to know if my flexibility is being affected by the weights.
[quote]Brotha123 wrote:
So far i feel it helps me a lot to have good strength…and yes i just really would like to know if my flexibility is being affected by the weights. [/quote]
Yes and no. No…heavy weights are not keeping you from getting flexible. Yes…lifting with proper technique and full range of motion can (positively) affect flexibility to a degree.
But as far as for BJJ…you need to focus on actual mobility/flexibility work.
[quote]sardines12 wrote:
Strength is not all that important in BJJ.[/quote]
Hah.
To the OP, if flexibility is a real problem for you, stretch regularly when you’re warmed up.
Personally I have the flexibility I need from rolling 2-3 times a week. All the guard work, guard passing and top control almost seem to keep my muscles loose.
[quote]Brotha123 wrote:
So far i feel it helps me a lot to have good strength…and yes i just really would like to know if my flexibility is being affected by the weights. [/quote]
how often do you lift, and do BJJ?
i stretch a lot, and have always stretched a lot. but if you have the cash, i’d reccomned checking out the Grappler Strength and Flexibilty DVD by ElasticSteel.
[quote]Brotha123 wrote:
I have been squating and deadlifting pretty heavy as well as trying to become very flexible for Jiu Jitsu. I have been taking this approach for about 3-4 months seen a little flexibility but i expected more. Not sure if i should stop going heavy and go for more reps to become very flexible any input would be great…[/quote]
The rep range really shouldn’t affect flexibility/mobility (unless perhaps you’re sacrificing ROM for weight). Just take a quick look at Olympic weightlifters. They do most of their work in the 1-3 rep range, and are among the most flexible, agile and powerful athletes.
If you aren’t seeing fast enough progress with your flexibility, do it more often. Stretching 3 times a week is probably only going to noticeably improve ROM for completely sedentary people. Stretching 6-7 days a week is going to produce considerably faster/more noticeable results, and stretching multiple times per day is going to result in even faster results. You can still overdo it of course, but as long as you don’t push to the point of pain or do isometric/PNF stretching multiple times a day, you should be ok.
If you think people like Bill Wallace, Bruce Lee, olympic gymnasts, or basically any really flexible athletes got there by only stretching occasionally you’re greatly mistaken.
If you are already stretching multiple times a day, perhaps take a closer look at how you are stretching, consider throwing in some different stretching methods (PNF, isometric, active, etc…), or maybe just be more patient (you aren’t going to achieve a full split in a matter of weeks).
Yeah, you are right. I stretch usually twice a day for 15-20 mins. I lift weights 4 times a week and jiu jitsu 4 times a week. The one stretch that i can not get down is the butterfly with my knees touching any alternative stretches??
[quote]Brotha123 wrote:
Yeah, you are right. I stretch usually twice a day for 15-20 mins. I lift weights 4 times a week and jiu jitsu 4 times a week. The one stretch that i can not get down is the butterfly with my knees touching any alternative stretches??[/quote]
How far off the ground are your legs?
There are numerous other stretches that stretch out the hip adductors (inner thighs). Which ones you choose to do will somewhat depend on how advanced you are. I’d suggest starting with one (or more if you want) of theses:
Frog stretch:
another variation utilizing some active stretching principles:
Once you get more advanced you can try things like:
Isometric straddle split holds:
Wall split:
Bill Wallace stretching:
Pretty far from the ground.