How much do you warm up or work out before a grappling competition? I normally just stretch a little and try to rest and save my energy because I figure I'm going to gas, but I've been thinking that my yoga workouts make me feel so good and warm my muscles so much that maybe expending a little energy doing that will make me feel stronger and looser when I roll.
What do you do the day you're competing?
It's best to have a moderately intense warm-up.
Often people gas because they haven't warmed up enough.
About 20-25 mins before my matches I usually go for a jog, maybe adding in some intervals (about 60-70% intensity) for 5-10 mins, this opens my lungs out and gets me warmed up.
Then I stretch for the remaining time, giving my heart a chance to get back to it's normal rate. Make sure you don't let your muscles get to cold during this time.
2 weeks before you compete you should be doing your exact warmup for your competition before you train at the gym. You can even put a bunch of songs on an ipod, cd etc and listen to them as you go through your competition warmup. Start with slow songs and move into more intense stuff right before you step on the mat. Do the same thing before you compete. I see too many people step on the mat cold and get caught.