Want To Get 'fit'... Read This First

[NickR33]

Good article for the people it's aimed at.

Pretty much everyone 'new' to it wants to get 'fit' by running on a tready.

It's true unless you're an athlete. I know personally that I used to get loss of breath on the court @around 7 mins

Also could only run 3km with fast walking (resting)prob 5-700m of that.

3 months of lifting only was enough to stay 40min on court and not feel the need to sub off.

Same 3km was easy.

Edit: social roster bball, no practice.

yep I had a very similar experience

[markos]

You guys may have noticed I have stayed out of all threads except my powerlifting ones

I also sent an email warning PTC owners careful about posting on hobby forums

Strength training is outnumbered 100,000 to 1 in commercial gyms in Australia

Nick, posting this article on a hobby form health section was NEVER going to end well

I should explain that by hobby forum, I'm not being disrespectful, its like a Skyline owner posting car advice on a computer forum, most guys there want a car that goes from A to B, we want to get to Z before they reach B, they cant understand that.

I've worked out that the 100,000 are never going to understand me, which is how the ProRawPowerlifting forum started.

Car forums should focus on cars, crossfit should focus on crossfit, powerlifting should focus on powerlifting

I've been trying since 2006 to prove otherwise, until ProRaw, I failed

Good article by the way, by one of the best coaches around

[-FIGJAM-]

You guys may have noticed I have stayed out of all threads except my powerlifting ones

I also sent an email warning PTC owners careful about posting on hobby forums

Strength training is outnumbered 100,000 to 1 in commercial gyms in Australia

Nick, posting this article on a hobby form health section was NEVER going to end well

I should explain that by hobby forum, I'm not being disrespectful, its like a Skyline owner posting car advice on a computer forum, most guys there want a car that goes from A to B, we want to get to Z before they reach B, they cant understand that.

I've worked out that the 100,000 are never going to understand me, which is how the ProRawPowerlifting forum started.

Car forums should focus on cars, crossfit should focus on crossfit, powerlifting should focus on powerlifting

I've been trying since 2006 to prove otherwise, until ProRaw, I failed

Good article by the way, by one of the best coaches around

very sensible post Markos. Much truth as well

[jangles]

You guys may have noticed I have stayed out of all threads except my powerlifting ones

I also sent an email warning PTC owners careful about posting on hobby forums

Strength training is outnumbered 100,000 to 1 in commercial gyms in Australia

Nick, posting this article on a hobby form health section was NEVER going to end well

I should explain that by hobby forum, I'm not being disrespectful, its like a Skyline owner posting car advice on a computer forum, most guys there want a car that goes from A to B, we want to get to Z before they reach B, they cant understand that.

I've worked out that the 100,000 are never going to understand me, which is how the ProRawPowerlifting forum started.

Car forums should focus on cars, crossfit should focus on crossfit, powerlifting should focus on powerlifting

I've been trying since 2006 to prove otherwise, until ProRaw, I failed

Good article by the way, by one of the best coaches around

Exactly.

[NickR33]

Nick, posting this article on a hobby form health section was NEVER going to end well

yeah your probably right but I keep trying

I've just had good success implementing these ideas and want to share (naively... probably)

I've also seen my old man take rank amateurs, with no previous athletic experience (20 years of sitting on their ass, in front of computers etc) and whip them into impressive shape using basic strength principles... mixed in with some resistance conditioning which I still think has a place, even with novices

The same way I hate to see people wasting money on useless car mods I also hate to see people wasting time and money on fitness fads

and I like this forum... but I get your point

I enjoy reading the ProRaw forums... especially the training logs... lots of great info

[markos]

Oh, I love this forum, I've had 4 GTR's lol

But I just limit my input on here

It was Max that actually made me realize

It was that stupid thread with upper chest etc

He sat down and read it as it was on our computer

He looked at me and said "why do you bother, we have WR holders and these guys are talking about isolating a section of a muscle"

That was when I stopped in the fitness thread and just do the PL stuff

[TTT]

You're getting OLDer Markos.

you just don't have the need to put people in their place anymore like you used to.

well except when it comes to Dan from Perth..

f**king lol

[NickR33]

yeah that poor guy get's a pretty hard time lol

I can't even convince my mate who competes at BJJ to do some basic strength and conditioning... they do crunches and core stuff at training and he believes this is enough

doesn't make sense to me as he has guys trying to break his arms and choke him unconscious... wouldn't you want every advantage possible?

[-FIGJAM-]

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.

[-FIGJAM-]

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

[NickR33]

BJJ... yeah I understand it's mostly technique and smaller guys can have a lot of success over bigger guys (the beauty of it really) but if you think a strength program won't improve your Jitz your tripping*

especially when competing with guys at the same weight and skill level like you do in BJJ competition... anything to give you that edge IMO

*and Palhares will find you and rip your leg off lol

[The Bogan]

But the extra muscle adds weight, so a 80 guy with more muscle Vs a 80 with less will usually be at a reach disadvantage, and trust me on this, when I was lifting heavy and had a lot more muscle mass than I do now I found it much harder in regards to endurance training.

Someone said a few posts back that you shouldnt mix the disciplines, I partially disagree with that, for overall fitness you need to mix up your training, but if you want to focus on strength it will impact on your cardio, and visa versa.

A guy competing in a power lifting comp will not need to worry to much about cardio, where as a marathon runner isn't going to want any unwanted weight on his bones.

Me, I'm a firm believer in all styles of training from cardio to the big 3, with lots of stretching and yoga.

All in all do what is needed for your chosen sport and/or your occupation.

[-FIGJAM-]

BJJ... yeah I understand it's mostly technique and smaller guys can have a lot of success over bigger guys (the beauty of it really) but if you think a strength program won't improve your Jitz your tripping*

especially when competing with guys at the same weight and skill level like you do in BJJ competition... anything to give you that edge IMO

*and Palhares will find you and rip your leg off lol

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?

[markos]

I'm surprised that anyone still thinks you need to get heavier to get stronger.

An 80kg guy with 10% bodyfat is going to be much better than an 80kg guy with 20% bodyfat

He has more muscle, but weighs the same, his cardiovascular system is put under the same load

[-FIGJAM-]

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.

[markos]

My knowledge on that is limited

But I'll always stand by my comment, you can never be too strong or too fast, in any sport

[-FIGJAM-]

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.

[NickR33]

Markos has summed it up perfectly with his last two points so I'm done

I'll leave you with this Vinny Magalhaes, BJJ World Champ... I'm sure he got like that from 'just rolling'

ps. blue belt. http://graciejiujitsu.com.au/

[-FIGJAM-]

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.

[-FIGJAM-]

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.