Daily work (work gym)
25.02.2025 (1.00pm pre lunch session)
Mobility, warmup, groiners
20kg KB Swings x 15
-ss-
Curl to OHP with 10kg DB’s x 10
x7 rounds
(13.30min ish)
Achilles, then hip flexor fascia stretches L/R 2mins hold/stretch for each
-just some daily lunch work
BJJ
28.02.2025 (6am morning session)
BJJ 1hr, all levels class
-More half guard / Z guard, getting the underhook, up into dogfight or old school sweeps. Improving on this each time which is nice.
-failed to slow things down when on the defence against more experienced guys rolling (and got hammered a few times each). But then slowed things down nicely vs Ja where I dominated taking mount a few times, failed armbar attempt on him, but finished taking back just as timer went but all good. Never in trouble.
-BW just under 66.5kg this am - sleeping terribly. work stress and fewers carbs atm. Will power through.
Love this. It’s become my game.
BJJ
28.02.2025 (6pm evening session)
BJJ 1hr, beginner class
-T ran the class tonight, and worked through flower sweep into S mount arm bar. Practiced with a new guy, massive dude. Struggled to get my legs around him during practice to lock in closed guard. Good to practice against a larger opponent though, and it’s my favourite sweep.
-Good rolls thereafter, smaller beginners class this time. Finished up with a gentle roll with one of the blue belts.
-I can defo see the benefit more and more in the half guard @dchris given after grappling or wrestling down one can end up in such positions.
-BW66.5 this am, so tracking almost where I need to be for next sunday’s comp
-Solid weekend, gutted the old pantry (old warped laminate shelves), patched, sanded, first coat of paint done, and started building flatpacks for lower shelving. Plus bike ride with junior.
Running power, etc.
Junior on the driver in demo mode.
Nothing better than a girl who knows her way around power tools—you’re raising her right!
I’ll post a video in my log. But this is such a versatile guard to get good at. Lachlan Giles does a great overview of guards, classifying them in three categories: 1. Both legs out. 2. One leg in, one leg out. 3. Both legs in.
When you think of it from that perspective it makes it easy to shift between knee shield>DLR>SX, etc.
Weighted vest walk (work gym)
03.03.2024 (1pm pre lunch session)
17mins incline dreadmill with vest (10ish kg?), HR125 max, nasal breathing only
Cossack Squats
BW x 8 (L, R)
+10kg DB x 6, 7, 8 (L, R)
-ss-
BPA’s x 50ish
chest/pec fascia stretching 2mins
hip flexor fascia stretching 2mins (L/R)
shoulder mobility x 5, 5 (L/R)
-thanks @SvenG it’s great daddy daughter time too in the shed etc.
-appreciate the continual tips there @dchris thanks!
Agreed! I plan to teach both of my kids at least the basics of power tools.
I like to teach by showing the problem or project first, then walking them through the steps on how we should fix it (works exceptionally well for math, btw).
When their turn comes up to use the tools, give them the basic hand tools, so a hand saw, or screwdriver, or hurdy-gurdy (old school drill) for drilling holes, etc.
Let them use the by-hand method first, then show them the power tool and teach them to use it - but to understand that while it is easier, it is significantly more dangerous.
In my opinion, it generates more respect for the tool and the importance of safety while using it.
Yep, tightening up a loose towel rail only needs a screw driver or allan key, not a power tool. She was swinging a hammer well early in the day too.
DL (work gym)
04.03.2025 (1pm pre lunch session)
Mobility, warmup
Lat band activation work x 15
20kg KB Swings x 15
BPA’s x 100ish various angles
Deadlifts
bar x 8
60kg x 8
80 x 6, 6, 8, 8 (mixed grip last 2x sets, no belt)
-ss-
Pullups x 3, 4, 5
Nordic leg culs (hand assisted) x 10, 10, 10
-ss-
DB 30kg Rows x 10, 9, 8 (L/R)
-Short and sweet, done in half an hour.
BJJ
05.03.2025 (6am morning session)
BJJ 1hr, all levels class
-Half guard attacking options today. Shoulder lock for arm bar, a few variants there. Then into triangle as an option, along with rolling through for an armbar. For me, too many options to learn in a short time.
-2 rolls went average, then worked some more on the initial shoulder lock arm bar with J at the end.
-weight all ok at 66kg (145lb), alas now there’s no other guys signed up to that weight division!, but plenty in the 155lb category, so this mini cut in vain as they’ll no doubt slide me up into the 155’s. (no masters sign ups at all either) - time to carb back up!?
Depending how long you have, you just gave yourself a longer runway for a bulk.
Preferably slow and steady.
Shoulders (work gym)
05.03.2025 (1pm pre lunch session)
Mobility warmup
BPA’s various angles x 80ish
OHP
Bar x 8
40kg x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
HLR x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
Rear delts
7.5kg DB’s x 15, 15, 15
-ss-
Laterals 7.5kg DB’s x 12, 12, 12
Kneeling one arm row incline 32kg x 8, 8, 8 L/R
Facepulls
+42kg x 20, 18, 16
-At nearly 47, this is less of a likely target for me, as opposed to say 20 years ago! But it’s still a valid suggestion mate thanks! Happy with the BW as is (albeit a few kg’s heavier usually of late), just focusing on getting in enough protein the main target. (next comp is this coming Sunday)
-Nice shoulder session today, been a while since pressing with the bar.
BJJ
07.03.2025 (6am morning session)
BJJ 1hr, all levels class
-Side control and mount (attacking) escapes into single leg x. Then works on heel hooks (noting as a white belt can’t do these in comp).
-good rolls thereafter, a few taps but lasted longer than normal vs T, J, P. Plus some extra specific training rolls with J.
-edit >> 155lb category confirmed for comp, already back up to 68 from 66kg after a decent refeed and some liquid carbs (work lunch beer ftw).
BJJ - Grappling Comp
09.03.2025 (1-3pm)
Really hot day for the comp. Inside a hall with just a few fans, so it was hot and humid. Mid to high 30’s in Adelaide (almost 100F).
Weigh check in and the lady behind the scales say’s ‘you’re 4lbs over the weight’… cue me checking it’s the correct weight category as I was bumped up to the 155’s… we both had a laugh and all good, sitting at 150lb even.
Focus today was on working the defence and looking to attack where possible, but held back on the leg shots… in hindsight more attacking would have been a smarter strategy!
Lost all four matchups against more skilled opponents, but learnt plenty. And the coach was happy with my frame improvements and the way I generally approached the matches. He also mentioned jokingly it would have gone better if I was 10years younger, these kids were quick!
I also made a mental note to ensure I tap quicker if in trouble, otherwise my stubborness to stay in the match will just result in longer injury recovery time (cue elbow/ankle etc).
Coach is great with loud clear instructions from the sidelines, problem is the brain is trying to process his instructions whilst also defending my opponent.
Match 1
-my grappling game needs a ton of work! Lost the inside knee and he was into mount in no time once he took me to ground. Reasonable on the frames and watching the replay I should have given it more in the legs as he put the choke on.
Loss: Ezekiel Choke sub
Match 2
-got into the match and lasted longer, albeit from underneath. Almost got him in single leg x - suspect I was getting pretty gassed by now. 2x early matches with only 5mins between them. He was headbutting most of the guys during his matches - I don’t think I copped any as he had me in a takedown fairly early.
Loss: RNC sub
Match 3
-He pulled guard form the start, and went straight for the ankle lock as I came in. Fought it for a while, tried in vain to get over that lower leg, alas no dice and called it after the pain set in on the lock. (he lost the gold medal final later on)
Loss: Ankle lock sub
Match 4
-no video (will try and get a copy of Bl’s phone)
Match vs clubmate Bl - he was eventual gold medal winner in this division, he’s coming up really nice, 16 so i’m almost triple his age. Bit of grappling early then he took me down, but I was under his legs and should have clamped on harder (as later on he said he thought I had him… not sure in what though, I was just in survival mode at this point!) - He transitioned into a solid armbar on me, and I wasn’t risking the elbow at this point.
Loss: Armbar sub
So plenty to learn from. Need to bring back more of that aggression earlier I reckon, and work on the grappling takedowns. On the positive, elbow only a bit sore, same with ankle. So essentially unscathed against guys 30+ years younger than me.
Tagging the usual crew: @burien_top_team @T3hPwnisher @redsol1 @kleinhound @twojarslave @dchris
Round 1 was an encounter with bigger, stronger and younger guy whose ground fundamentals looked pretty solid to me. Neither of you need to worry about dominating any wrestling or judo competitions in the near future, but I am EXTREMELY pleased that you both went to work without pulling guard. You got snapped the fuck down!
You never achieved a guard besides that sliver of knee between his KOB and side-control. He was really tight on you the entire time with what looked like good pressure. You did an admirable job of trying to get a guard back but left a window for him to slide right into mount. He got his hooks in and a really stable mount to work from. I’m guessing your brain knew what to do at this point but there was some kind of delay between it and your hips.
You both have my respect for not pulling guard and from my point of view it looked like your gas tank was running low when you got snapped down. Then you got owned by fundamentals and whatever strength, size, and conditioning edge he might have had.
There ain’t no shame in it! That was a good grapping match, IMO. You did very well in the most important part, always fighting until you got found out.
I only ever competed once and even when we just had spirited rolls, most of my coach’s instructions were Charlie Brown teacher noises. There’s a reason nobody cares about Gordon Ryan’s coach. He’s not really present in the moment.
Nobody will be present to tell you what to do when you take a part-time side job as a backup bouncer at your neighborhood bar, either. You’ll just be left with what you’ve got in the moment.
That’s my $0.02 on your first match, I’ll try to make time to give you some more pocket change on the others.
Agree with everything @twojarslave said.
Great work man. He was much younger and stronger than you, but you hung with him for quite awhile during standup. I’d practice your pummeling, there were times where he had collar ties and underhook.
After the takedown you weren’t in a bad spot. Just learning to explore a guard that you like. You had a butterfly guard, but shifting to half could have been done too. Just learning how to control opponent, while setting up position for sweep or sub. Frames wise, you were in the right place each time, just learning to feel where they are going and hit timing and coordination of knees coming up, while shrimping and framing hard. Good stuff man.
Gotta be wary of these butt scooters. They try and force you to play their game.
This is huge, you’re voluntarily fighting people 30 years younger than you and competitive with them.
I don’t know anything about what I’m seeing in these videos, but if the experts say this, then I’m impressed!
Well done, @raven78! You continue to show everyone that 1978 is an excellent vintage.
On the feet, you should get familiar with some Arm Drags and Jamming on the Elbow.
For one, just to mess with your opponents and not allow them to get so comfortable tying you up.
And also to set up your slick single leg! Messing with the other dude’s arm can get you in real close and allow you to attack from the side vs shooting straight on from far away.
That way you’re in there tight, stuck to his hip, so he can’t do any fruity counter moves. And you can take Him down right into side control.
