Years ago a big name MMA coach told me that Tabata sprints were mandatory for all his fighters. He argued that this particular exercise acted like a tank of nitrous in a street car; it gave his fighters the ability to generate an extra burst of speed and power when they need it most. In an MMA context this might be a wild flurry of sprawls and punches. In grappling it might be a desperate … [Read more...]
Cardio
Hybrid Training with James Deirmendjian: Strength and Conditioning for BJJ
James Deirmendjian a strength and conditioning coach specialising in combat and tactical athletes who ALSO competes in BJJ, fighting against much younger opponents. As such he was the perfect choice to finish our 4-part series on hybrid training and the science of developing strength and endurance at the same time. In this episode James and I touch on many topics, including… - The most … [Read more...]
Hybrid Training with James Pieratt: How to Mix Marathon and Strength Training
James Pieratt from Wild Hunt Conditioning first came to the public attention when he deadlifted 520 lbs and then immediately set out on a 50 mile ultramarathon. Today James joins us to share what he learned on an expedition in which he ran 802 miles through nearly the entire state of California. James is unique in the ultrarunning community because he also lifts heavy weights and trains in … [Read more...]
Hybrid Training with Mike McCastle: Peaking for Power, Endurance, and Mental Strength with Mike McCastle
There are strength sports like powerlifting and Olympic lifting, and there are endurance sports like marathoning and biking in the Tour de France... And then there are sports like BJJ that require a hybrid approach - optimising strength and endurance at the same time. This gets really tricky, so over the next four episodes of The Strenuous Life Podcast I'm going to be exploring hybrid … [Read more...]
Alone on Everest with Jost Kobusch
On episode 392 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I'm joined by the amazing Jost Kobusch. Jost is a German mountaineer who spent two seasons on Everest trying to ascend the legendarily difficult West Ridge route and the Hornbein Couloir alone, without oxygen, and in the middle of the brutal Himalayan winter. We covered a TON of interesting topics, including 00:00 Jost Kobusch's plans for … [Read more...]
Five Tips for Training During Coronavirus Lockdown
As I write this most clubs, dojos and training groups all over the world have shut down for a very noble cause; to flatten the coronavirus curve By shutting things down we're slowing (not stopping) community transmission of this virus, which in turn prevents the medical system from being overrun all at once and allows the system to manufacture and stockpile masks and other personal protective … [Read more...]
Himalayan Quality Cardio Training with Scott Loughney
In today's episode I talk to Scott Loughney about an incredible 640 km ultrarunning challenge in the highest mountain range of the world. Scott together with Ryan Wagner and Upendra Sunuwar successfully linked Katmandu, the capital of Nepal, with Everest Base Camp, a round trip distance of 640km. We really get down into the weeds with this one about the nuances of training for, and then … [Read more...]
Measure Your Training To Improve Your Training
Peter Drucker, the godfather of modern business management, once said, “You can't manage what you can't measure.” Now I don't think that Peter Drucker did Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (or any other form of martial arts) but the idea of measuring things in order to improve them applies to every field of athletic endeavour. So let's look at some concrete ways that we might quantify our training and … [Read more...]
Sport-Specific Conditioning for Athletes, with Red Sullivan (Strenuous Life Podcast, Episode 193)
Red Sullivan is a strength and conditioning expert who has worked with athletes in many different sports to help them realise their athletic potential. Some of the jiu-jitsu black belts I know have followed his programming and have really liked it, which is how he came to my attention! Beyond that I just like his message. In this podcast we go deep into Acquiring skill vs physical … [Read more...]
Endurance Sports and BJJ, with Paul Kindzia
Paul Kindzia was immersed in the world of marathon and triathalon for many years before immersing himself in BJJ, even going so far as to write a book on the topic called 'Master Jiu-Jitsu, Master Life'. He's got a really interesting story because he went from a fat 220 pound accountant living on soft drinks and fast food to a 13 time elite Ironman. And now he's a highly ranked BJJ masters … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 59 – When Short on Time, What’s the Most Effective Cardio?
Endurance is the most important physical attribute in combat sport, but it can be time consuming to develop. In this short episode I talk about some of the most efficient cardio protocols that I've used during periods of my life when I had no time for long, leisurely cardio. To listen to this conversation you could press play on the embedded audio player below, but then you might miss out on … [Read more...]
Sitting is the Devil – Go and Sweat!
Sitting is the new smoking my friends - it's really, really not good for you. So if you're doing a lot of travelling, otherwise known as sitting on your ass, then you've got to offset it with some exercise. So go to your hotel, check in, and before you go for dinner and before you dive into your emails... GO GET A SWEAT ON! It doesn't need to be an epic workout, immortalised in poetry and … [Read more...]
On Starting a Conditioning Program for BJJ & Submission Grappling
There are lots of reasons to start doing a conditioning program if you're training in BJJ or submission grappling. The most important (yet often overlooked) benefit is to injury proof your body and allow you to train longer, harder, and more often. Other benefits can include increased strength, improved muscular endurance, elevated aerobic and anaerobic capacities, and more explosiveness, all … [Read more...]
The Best Mountaineer in the World and a Brand New Podcast…
I originally started my podcast - then named 'The Grapplearts Radio Podcast' - because I wanted to share some of the amazing conversations I was having with the athletes, competitors and coaches in the BJJ, submission and mixed martial arts space with my audience. The format of this podcast has evolved over the years. For example it now includes Q&A sessions and rants as well as interviews … [Read more...]
Staying Fit During a BJJ Training Layoff
BJJ is a marathon, not a sprint. The average Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt takes at least 10 years of hard training, so if you miss a week of training here or there it's not going to make a difference in the long run. But in some scenarios you're not looking at just missing a week of training. Let's say that you've got a sick kid at home, or that you have to recover from a surgery, or that … [Read more...]
‘Twas the Day and the Night Before Christmas…
So about a year ago a semi-annual tradition got started... The way it works is that every 6 months the toughest woman I know and I do a one day, 30 mile hike through the mountains with a TON of elevation gain and loss. It's up and up and up and then down and down and down... We call it the 'Deathmarch' and it's a ton of fun. Here's a video I put together using photos and snapchat videos … [Read more...]
7 Reasons Martial Artists Should Do Cardio
Today I want to share 7 reasons that all martial artists should do some form of cardio. This article actually started on a great run up my favourite local mountain. During that run, while dodging roots, rocks and puddles, I also spent a lot of time thinking about the direct martial arts benefits people get after they start working on their cardio. After the run, while cooling down and … [Read more...]
Podcast EP30: BJJ Q&A – Popular Reader Questions Answered
I recently did the second-ever Grapplearts Radio Q&A format podcast. In it I answered questions from my newsletter readers. In this particular podcast we cover many topics, including How to come back to BJJ training after an injury... and not lose your mind while you're rehabbing... Options for transitioning out of Z guard (and half guard in general) to open guard How to improve … [Read more...]
Bodybuilding, Jiu-Jitsu, and My Quest to Make 240 lbs with Abs…
In my late twenties I went through a phase that most young men go through - I wanted to get big. Maybe not as big as Dorian Yates and the other professional bodybuilders active at the time, but certainly bigger than most other men in my peer group. Yes, I admit that there was a certain element of vanity at work, but I also told myself that it would be good for my jiu-jitsu. The trouble was … [Read more...]
The Combat Challenge Sprint Workout
Here’s a great workout for you: the Combat Challenge Sprint workout. This is the same sprint training protocol used by many of the best competitors in the Firefighter Combat Challenge, a sport that focuses on a viciously difficult obstacle course in which firefighters push themselves to their limits simulating foreground activities. This worker was a key component of my friend Jamie McGarva's … [Read more...]