-FIGJAM-

I was more directing the argument to Nick saying his mate would get better at BJJ if he added a strength routine in, rather then sport as a whole. My personal opinion in regards to his mate, is that his skill would increase faster if he got some more matt time down, be it technique work or rolling. Certainly in MMA strength and explosive power is something that all fighters train to increase, as well as endurance, etc etc. To throw another spanner into the works, I have recently taken up golf socially on the weekend with a couple of mates. Would a strength routine here help me lower my score? I think not, i think the biggest thing that would help my game (as a social player) is practice and some proper coaching. I play oztag once a week, train legs once a week, including squats, now I dont do 3-5 reps I am for 10-15, am I faster this season since training legs more and harder then I was last? Honestly I cant answer that question, but I haven't scored as many tries this season, we have however gone up a league. Its an interesting discussion and in my opinion not easily solved. But in my opinion regarding sports and competition on a ammeter level and social levels, technique and practice far out way any additional gym work even if you fit it in with practice. On a top professional level my opinion changes, I think a good strength and conditioning routine is another piece to the puzzle.

Yes Nick, I watched the UFC event on the weekend. I also have every season of the Ultimate Fighter on DVD, yet to miss an event in Australia, going to the final event of the year in Vegas and have a number of previous payper views on dvd. Whilst I would not pretend to know more about then you or Markos about power lifting, I do have a lot of knowledge when it comes to MMA, having nearly turned professional myself and also qualified to instruct juniors and seniors. earlier I was talking about purely BJJ and the benefits of strength training. I honestly believe until you become an expert in a sport like that where the main aspect is technique and body mechanics, it wont be of benefit to you. There are literally hundreds of examples where using brute strength in a lock is counter productive. I also mentioned earlier that muscle mass in MMA has shown time and time again to not be a great idea, for some reason they seem to tire faster as Joe Rogan says their arms gas quicker and become unsless. When it comes to flexibility, I have no idea as I can't even touch my toes. Also Markos, whilst there are weight divisions for a reason, its not always better to be bigger. Back in the early days of the UFC, smaller guys did beat some of the heavy weights. I also believe (but could be wrong) that Penn has competed in the super weight division for BJJ and been successful. But not the same for all sports, look at some of the Olympic Sprinters, some of those blokes have great physiques which I am positive they didnt get just from sprinting.

body builder probably wanted to do dead lifts or squats himself why cant the women train at your gym anymore but still drops in for a visit? direct her to this article http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/ might help change her mind about walking/running and weight training. also, first time I went into a gym I was 13 or just 14 cant really remember, it was at swimming center that had a gym as well, anyway I signed the waiver form and what not, try to do something and the trainer came over to me and said something about weight training for someone my age can stunt growth and he couldnt let me train with my mates. Was that b/s??? Only ask because I noticed you said about a 12 year old girl lifting.

will also say that I trained for a short period of time at a gym with professional MMA and Muay Thai fighters. The kick boxers did no real weight training. The MMA guys on the other hand, mostly clean and press, squats, deadlifts. Usually for 1 rep then a cardio routine and back for 1 rep. Emphasis being on the cardio and developing explosive power.

blue belt is still considered to be a "beginners" belt in BJJ, not taking anything away from your mate, it means he has but some serious time down on the mat. It is a point where you start to learn most of the moves and techniques and are really just starting to put it all together on the mat. Supposedly at a decent gym, you would reach blue belt with 1-2 years training (at an adult level), I dont know how true that is though. I got to a purple belt where I trained (at a gym affiliated with Gracie), did it in a little over two years. also for your own info (if you didnt know), Vinny competes in MMA as well as BJJ. The guy is also a beast of a man. How about someone renowed for his laziness in conditioning before a fight, someone who also won the BJJ World Championship after only a year of training? he is an elite fighter (in his day, past it now) and not known for his strength and conditioning. If you want to talk about a NSW and National BJJ champion then have a look at Budda there is a reason why he doesnt have any pictures of himself with no shirt on. But as someone who has met and trained under him, he is built more like Penn then Vinny. Or maybe have a look at Nate Diaz, great at bjj, wouldnt want his body though. and the list goes on and on. Whilst I can agree that some strength training can be beneficial for all sports including BJJ. I think you have to look at what level of competition you hope to compete at and how much time you want to dedicate to it. If you are doing it for some fun, couple nights a week, a strength routine is not going to help you get better, especially if you could be training in the sport that extra time. If you're a professional and need to make money from the sport you enter an entirely different ball park and even then dont go to crazy, best example I can think of is Floyd Mayweather and his pre fight workouts. My 2cents.

i would agree with you on that Markos, provided it doesn't effect technique and development of correct technique and form. when i was training in MMA and fighting, I wish I had of done some real strength and power workouts i believe it would have benefited me immensely especially when I first started out and wasn't training and fighting out of the camp that I ended up in.

from what I have read and been told from a lot of high level fighters to much muscle mass in MMA and combat sports can be an issue Markos. Can't remember the exact reasons behind it, but they seem to tire before some fighters with less muscle mass. With that being said, I am not sure (and I dont know if anyone really knows) what the optimum amount of muscle is for a fighter. But particularly for MMA fighters too much muscle has lead to fighters tiring fast. Not sure how Overeem has been so successful though. Maybe its different depending on the person. Overeem is a beast.

again depends what you train for in BJJ. If you just chase belts then no a strength program wont benefit you, if you go into some low level bjj comps again it wont benefit you that much. Maybe some higher level comps, and I am talking state titles here at a decent belt level (probably purple belt +) for MMA strength and explosive power trainning is a definite advantage. Watch some real high level BJJ comps and I am talking the best in the world, the movements are all nice and smooth and fluent. A good example of where brute strength isnt great in BJJ is if someone tries to power bomb there way out of a triangle choke. If the choker doesnt land on his/her head and let go the person who is getting chocked has done nothing but make the choke tighter. I'll also say that nothing makes you fit for rolling apart from rolling. You can run, bike, cross fit all you like, rolling is the best fitness to roll longer. Out of interest Nick, do you know what belt your mate is and who he trains with?

just read through this thread. Interesting read. was thinking about buying a new car next year from a importer (not the named one), now i am a little hesitant...

will also add, that my opinion on that changes if your mate is doing MMA rather then just BJJ

because strength isnt a big advantage in high level bjj. it helps, dont get me wrong, but bjj is a lot of body mechanics, using hip movement and technique to almost get a roll rather then brute strength. if you have never rolled before, i recommend giving it a go, even if it is for one class.

dam why did i only just come across this? https://www.facebook.com/gymmeme funny facebook page that.

very sensible post Markos. Much truth as well

sif i shop at gnc.... Mr Supplement all the way EDIT* was interested in what he had because I have to squeeze 3 meals into one whilst I am at work and still get a decent amount of calories. Stupid prick coworkers had a winge because I had a small meal before and after lunch when they cant have a smoke.

dont disappoint me.... 200g of chicken is all good, dunno how you ate the cheese though, that shit is rank.

wtf did you eat for lunch at 1200cals?

how tall are you Troy?? followed this thread for awhile, dont think I ever saw your height. just curious

how is it that barbs gets banned and we still have that labomba homo here? on topic, some good progress shots happening here. From when I was 21 (im in the red) outfit is due to cruise theme party night. Few months ago Have put on about 5-6kg, still got a long way to go. Also need a tan................

sorry birds, already got plenty of lube.................. if you have something for an ecto to gain lean mass whilst shredding fat then take my money.... In all seriousness the supplements that I take on a regular basis is protein, creatine(which I am iffy about) and BCAA. Got the other shit to try no other reason. Otherwise i try to ruin myself at the gym and eat what i can when i can. I know the reason why i havent gotten bigger, its nothing to do with supplements its all my diet and unless I fix that, I'll stay around where I am at the moment.

that would be appreciated

Possibly correct. Defibrillator will help if anything goes wrong with my heart whilst asleep as for cheech and chong, no issue this morning, felt fine not lethargic or anything. Also in regards to the Cheech comment, everyone knows you drive better stoned..... No I haven't. As I mentioned from the get go, I got it just to try it to see what the fuss was about and if it really does affect me like it has some. I really wanted to Dorian Yates one as its meant to be stronger. The amount of negative feedback, would think I got on Alburtrex...............

i have a healthy relationship with spending money.......... one good thing though, I was with my spotter and he was interested in getting some thermagetics, the guy talked him out of them. said they are a complete waste of time and the only time to think about getting on them was pre comp because in his opinion they only get rid of water weight.

i know how fly feels... i wanna get big, round 90kg with about 8% body fat but i dont want to go to the gym to get it, I want to eat fast food and chocolate mud cake whilst playing wow on my computer.....

probably too much..... $170 or something. shouldnt have got the tribulus but was in a spending mood.