If you are a longtime reader of this newsletter you know that I think very highly of running as a conditioning method. Long runs, sprints, hill runs - as you can see from the following articles I think that they are all great. … [Read more...]
Keeping the Will to Fight
As is so often the case, Mark Twain said it best: "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog." This applies to dogs, grapplers, MMA fighters and jiu-jitsu players alike. … [Read more...]
A “Hard” Bodyweight Workout
Someone asked me recently "if the bodyweight conditioning routine on your website is an easy workout, then what does your BJJ coach, Marcus Soares, consider a hard workout"? … [Read more...]
Online Grappling Drill Videos
I think that grappling drills can serve an important function. Not everybody agrees with me about this: some people think that movement repetition outside the context of a resisting opponent is 'dead' training and a waste of time and energy. … [Read more...]
Grappling/MMA Circuit Training Videos
When people think of conditioning they often imagine people doing cardio and strength training separately. In this paradigm you might run in the morning and then lift weights in the afternoon … [Read more...]
Hard Come, Easy Go
In a previous tip I talked about how one often makes the fastest progress by working on one's weakest area. An unfortunate fact is that when you have a break from training, intentional or otherwise, your weakest areas also regress and erode the fastest. … [Read more...]
More Non-Compressive Neck Training
I've received lots of feedback about a previous tip discussing how some methods of neck conditioning can be problematical for some people. Grapplearts newsletter reader Kevin shared his favorite method of neck training with us: … [Read more...]
Just Get Dressed
Last week I talked about how you sometimes have to bail out of a planned training session. Well let's turn the situation around and talk about motivating you to get your butt back on the mat. … [Read more...]
There Can Be Only One! The Best Exercise for Grappling Cardio…
A Grapplearts reader writes: Q: "If you only had time for one cardio excercise which would you choose: swimming or running?" A: Swimming and running are both awesome exercises, and both have their pros and cons. … [Read more...]
Anaerobic Ideas
A reader writes: Q: I was wondering if you had any tips/techniques/ideas/routines for anaerobic conditioning drills? A: Yes I have some suggestions for you... … [Read more...]
Stair Torture
I have a love-hate relationship with running stairs. Today it hurts to sit down and it hurts to stand up. I limp around slowly, but still feel a bit smug about having had a great workout three days ago. … [Read more...]
My Numbers
Whenever I read an interview with a fighter there is usually a question that goes something like "what do you do for conditioning?" Too often the fighter says something like: "I run, I swim, and I lift weights" … [Read more...]
A HIIT of LSD?
I have always loved running at nightfall. Tonight I slipped out of the house at 9:30 pm, and ran for 40 minutes, thinking mainly about two things. … [Read more...]
A Workout Challenge for You
This week I added a new article to the Grapplearts library called The Drills of Shaolin. In this article renowned BJJ and MMA fighter Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro show four of his favorite drills that he uses for conditioning and sport-specific skill development. … [Read more...]
Pull-ups Continued
In the last tip I talked about my favorite upper body strengthening exercise: the pull-up!. Here I tackle a few questions I’ve received since last week. Q: How many sets of pull-ups do you do in a session? … [Read more...]
My Favorite Upper Body Exercise
If I could do only one upper body exercise it would have to be pull-ups. Grappling is much more about pulling than pushing, and pull-ups are a convenient way to develop strength and endurance in your lats, biceps, and other pulling muscles. … [Read more...]
My Default Cardio Workout
Some people say that you should change your conditioning workouts on a weekly or even daily basis; "you have to shock your body" they say. I believe that there is some truth to this, but I also think it is important to have a routine, or a constant workout that you do repeatedly. … [Read more...]
Two-Person Drills
Two-person drills are important training methods to develop skills on the mat. They can be used to warm up at the beginning of your training session, as part of your conditioning program, or as a finishing exercise. … [Read more...]
Going Anaerobic Part 3: More Routines
Here are some more ideas if you want to try anaerobic conditioning. The common theme this week is that more time is spent going hard than resting, so willpower is important here! … [Read more...]
Going Anaerobic, Part 2: Some Sample Routines
Last week we discussed some of the factors around incorporating anaerobic training in your conditioning routine. As promised, here are some real-life examples of anaerobic workouts: this week all the sample workouts have more recovery time than exertion time (don’t worry, you’ll need it). Finally I should mention that you want to be fully warmed up before you try any of these routines. 1 – … [Read more...]