As I start to take BJJ more serious, I want to make sure I'm properly training the weight lifting portion of my regimen.
Typically, I try to work out in the AM (530AM) for about an hour, however there are days I may oversleep which brings me to my question. Do any of you experienced guys workout before BJJ (think 2 - 4 hours before)?
On days I miss my AM workout, I usually hit the weights around 4:30PM - 5PM, eat supper then hit up BJJ around 8PM. That gives me a window of about 2 - 2 1/2 hours of rest in between sessions.
If your goal for weight training is to increase strength you are better off leaving as long a gap as possible between lifting and bjj training. Ideally as you mentioned in your post weights in early morning then bjj in evening (especially if you have a non physically demanding job). There is research that lifting followed to soon afterwards by activities such as Grappling would negate any strength gains.
And guys - would you stick to more traditional exercises (ie. dumbbell/barbell curls, extensions, presses, squats, lunges etc.) or something like kettlebells and do exercises with off balance weight, full body movements etc.?
I have both options in my gym, so feedback is appreciated. I've been doing traditional, but as I write this am now starting to re-think this approach.
Grab a shake weight and while everyone else is slumped around simply listening to the professor explain a move, you're getting pumped! No rule says you can't get your ticeps & biceps toned while you listen.
I wouldn't do it on the same day, ideally, but sometimes you don't have the option.
Big Mick Wilson (huge Australian grappler) told me a few years ago that he does a heavy weights routine before BJJ training, with the express intention of reducing his strength advantage during the class (as he’s much bigger than most people he’ll train with). So unless you’re doing something similar, I’d do the weights on a different day if you can, or if you have no other choice, at least leave a long gap.
Speaking personally, I just do weights for injury prevention. I have a regular 1hr personal training slot on Wednesdays at 10am (mostly kettlebells, barbell squats, pull ups, crawls, that kind of thing). I teach in the evening at 7:30pm, which so far I’ve found is a long enough gap. But then that’s a comparatively light routine.
From what I've gathered, it seems my best bet is to maintain work outs in the morning and if I don't have at least a 3 - 4 hour rest between weights and BJJ, then I should back off on the weights for the day / maybe do some yoga and abs post BJJ.
I’ve played around with both. For my body it feels better to lift before rolling but there are good arguments on both sides of this debate.
I’ve trained for a long time and there are more ways I know how to make up for being fatigued during rolling. I have lifted for much less time, my form isn’t as good, and I have less experience on compensating for fatigue when lifting.
That’s the main reason I like to lift first. When rolling I have all sorts of things I can do when my muscles are tired to make sure I can still perform well but especially to avoid injury. That’s not the case if I roll before I lift.
Ideally I wouldn’t do both in the same day. I tried and after about 3 months my body just started feeling terrible and overtrained/under-rested, even though I was getting good sleep and eating quality food.
Personally I've been lifting in the AM or a little afternoon and train at night. As someone else mentioned, I try to give as much time between lifting and training as I get can. I used to lift after training but I think the results, for me, have been better lifting before. The caveat is I'm weird, for example, before I compete I like hard rolling for an hour before I actually get to the event.
From what I've gathered, it seems my best bet is to maintain work outs in the morning and if I don't have at least a 3 - 4 hour rest between weights and BJJ, then I should back off on the weights for the day / maybe do some yoga and abs post BJJ.
If you train jiu-jitsu right after lifting weights, you are interrupting the cycle like this: Stimuli, GRAPPLING, recovery.
Jiu-jitsu is hard enough on the body. You don't want to be rolling with your structure already weakened from your weight lifting.
that’s one of the dumbest things I’ve read lately. you want to lift heavy weights while you’re fatigued and going to struggle to maintain safe form?
Who said anything about heavy weights? OP is obviously not power lifting. He literally mentions curls and kettlebells.
Also the reality is that a lot of people don’t train jiu-jitsu to the point of fatigue.
You’re probably stuck in the idea that the only useful weight training is heavy squat/bench/deadlift, and the only useful jiu-jitsu training is hard training.
If you train jiu-jitsu right after lifting weights, you are interrupting the cycle like this: Stimuli, GRAPPLING, recovery.
Jiu-jitsu is hard enough on the body. You don't want to be rolling with your structure already weakened from your weight lifting.
that’s one of the dumbest things I’ve read lately. you want to lift heavy weights while you’re fatigued and going to struggle to maintain safe form?
Who said anything about heavy weights? OP is obviously not power lifting. He literally mentions curls and kettlebells.
Also the reality is that a lot of people don’t train jiu-jitsu to the point of fatigue.
You’re probably stuck in the idea that the only useful weight training is heavy squat/bench/deadlift, and the only useful jiu-jitsu training is hard training.
But that’s typically narrow minded of you.
he literally mentions presses and squats, which are typically done heavy and you don't want to be doing those tired after BJJ. but hey, feel free to try and break yourself if that's what he meant. OP is clearly a noob to BJJ so good luck to him not being fatigued after class
your guesses about me are as ridiculous as your wikipedia fitness knowledge
If you train jiu-jitsu right after lifting weights, you are interrupting the cycle like this: Stimuli, GRAPPLING, recovery.
Jiu-jitsu is hard enough on the body. You don't want to be rolling with your structure already weakened from your weight lifting.
that’s one of the dumbest things I’ve read lately. you want to lift heavy weights while you’re fatigued and going to struggle to maintain safe form?
Who said anything about heavy weights? OP is obviously not power lifting. He literally mentions curls and kettlebells.
Also the reality is that a lot of people don’t train jiu-jitsu to the point of fatigue.
You’re probably stuck in the idea that the only useful weight training is heavy squat/bench/deadlift, and the only useful jiu-jitsu training is hard training.
But that’s typically narrow minded of you.
he literally mentions presses and squats, which are typically done heavy and you don't want to be doing those tired after BJJ. but hey, feel free to try and break yourself if that's what he meant. OP is clearly a noob to BJJ so good luck to him not being fatigued after class
your guesses about me are as ridiculous as your wikipedia fitness knowledge
Exactly what I mean. "typically done heavy" "good luck to him not being fatigued after class"
All these assumptions about other people's training. You always had an inability to see other perspectives.
I don't need to guess about you. Your ego trip with Keenan Cornelius was well documented on this forum and others.
Always before preferably with an hour or two in between but I found that you have to use your technique a great deal more and not rely on strength as much while rolling.