BJJ Cross Training

BJJ Cross Training

This BJJ cross-training post corresponds to the ‘Week’s Strength & Cross Training’ section mentioned previously in the ‘Using Your Training Journal‘ post.

YT Short video

The Exercises Quick List:

• Warm-up
• Dumbbell Elevated Pushups: 3 sets of 30 reps,
• Calf Raise: 3 sets of 20 reps, 60lbs x2,
• Lunges: down the driveway and back up,
• Shrugs: 3 sets of 20 reps, 60lbs x2,
• Lunges: down the driveway and back up,
• Squats: 3 sets of 20 reps, 45lbs x2,
• Lunges: down the driveway and back up,
• Standing Triceps Press: 3 sets of 20 reps, 45lbs x1,
• Lunges: down the driveway and back up,
• Curls #1:
  • Straight Dumbbell Curls: 1 set of 10 reps for each arm, at 30lbs x2,
  • Crossing Dumbbell Curls: 1 set of 10 reps for each arm, at 30lbs x2,
  • 90* Lockout Triceps Dumbbell Curls: 1 set of 10 reps for each arm, at 30lbs x2,
• Curls #2:
  • Straight Dumbbell Curls: 1 set of 10 reps for each arm, at 30lbs x2,
  • Crossing Dumbbell Curls: 1 set of 10 reps for each arm, at 30lbs x2,
  • 90* Lockout Triceps Dumbbell Curls: 1 set of 10 reps for each arm, at 30lbs x2,
• Curls #3:
  • Straight Dumbbell Curls: 1 set of 10 reps for each arm, at 30lbs x2,
  • Crossing Dumbbell Curls: 1 set of 10 reps for each arm, at 30lbs x2,
  • 90* Lockout Triceps Dumbbell Curls: 1 set of 10 reps for each arm, at 30lbs x2,
• Lunges: down the driveway and back up,
• Standing Military Press, with 4-Count Fly: 3 sets of 10 four-count reps, 30lbs x2,
• Lunges: down the driveway and back up,

Purpose:

The purpose of your cross-training is to help you crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women.

This workout is geared towards core strength and grips which support my weekly/monthly goal of improving my Spider-Guard by breaking the opponent’s posture and quickly locking triangles.

The heavyweights in long reps is to work grip strength.

The constantly tight stomach helps build core strength.

Exercises:

The exercises that I am doing are listed here in steps.

Weights:

The weights I pick are incrementally synced to my body weight:

60lbs x2 = 2/3rds of my bodyweight

45lbs x2 = 1/2 of my bodyweight

30lbs x2 = 1/3 of my bodyweight

I do that to make sure that I am keeping relatively stable loads and to be safe as the exercises progress because dropping a 60lb weight on your head or foot because you push yourself beyond without a spotter is a fast way to wreck the rest of your day.

When it is time to boost weights and increase the challenge, I will boost reps before weight.  Once I have boosted weight I drop back to low reps until I am sure I can complete sets safely.

Warm-Up:

Warm-ups are deliberately long and slow.  This is naturally my WORST issue, with old injuries and not spending enough time in my cooldowns.

The best way to hurt yourself is to start throwing around heavy weights cold, early in the morning, and without care.

I stand and start at the top moving my shoulders, then doing old-school Army arm & shoulder motion exercises like cherry pickers and shoulder touches.

Then I will rotate my neck. rock it side to side, front to back, and looking back and forth.

Next, I will rock my body arms extended just swinging gently to warm up.

Then stepping and moving this way and that while rotating the ankles.

Then I will start stretching top-down.  I will extend the arms over the head and work sides, then to the front and then to the back.  Next, I will typically stretch my lower back by hanging to touch my toes for a few long patient counts to thirty seconds.

Finally, I will stretch my legs and hip flexors, slowly building up to deeper flexibility stretching.

Dumbbell Elevated Pushups:

Dumbbell Elevated Pushups: 3 sets of 30 reps

The Dumbbell Elevated Pushups open the workout because they are great to warm up the body with a more intense exercise after the warm-up stretches.

https://youtube.com/shorts/DKMuetuoDOw

Calf Raises:

Calf Raises: 3 sets of 20 reps, 60lbs x2

https://youtube.com/shorts/sMeEhXPh1UE

Shrugs:

Shrugs: 3 sets of 20 reps, 60lbs x2

https://youtube.com/shorts/Fjn0_1a1qLA

Squats:

Squats: 3 sets of 20 reps, 45lbs x2

https://youtube.com/shorts/OigPFrf6dc0

Standing Triceps Press:

Standing Triceps Press: 3 sets of 20 reps, 45lbs x1

https://youtube.com/shorts/THlmLYpPJT8

Curls:

Curls are SUPER-SETS, so the progression is ‘straight’, ‘crossing’, and ’90*’ is ONE.  Then repeat to get into the second set

I do THREE (3) super-sets.

Straight Dumbbell Curls:

Straight Dumbbell Curls: 1 set of 10 reps for each arm, at 30lbs x2

https://youtube.com/shorts/eoobmXm3QQI

Crossing Dumbbell Curls:

Crossing Dumbbell Curls: 1 set of 10 reps for each arm, at 30lbs x2

https://youtube.com/shorts/ZKvuLRGaBfY

90* Lockout Triceps Dumbbell Curls:

90* Lockout Triceps Dumbbell Curls: 1 set of 10 reps for each arm, at 30lbs x2

https://youtube.com/shorts/seOn8BNDHwc

Finish curls and repeat two more times for three super-sets.

Standing Military Press, with 4-Count Fly:

Standing Military Press, with 4-Count Fly: 3 sets of 10 four-count reps, 30lbs x2

https://youtube.com/shorts/TWQyGAGq-TA

Lunges:

Lunges: after each major exercise I do a lung down the driveway and back up.

Flexibility:

In the warm-up mostly!  Then after the workout I typically train in the afternoon, so that shakes out any accumulated lactic acid from the day.

Yes!

I know that is a shit method.  This is my worst area and where I need to devote more time.

Results:

The result is that I am steadily losing the Keg gut I built up after leaving the Army!

I am starting to develop a nicely defined ridge of abdominal and side muscles along my flanks.  Plus, my butt is super sexy now.

All that and people are hitting my grips like a charging yappy-dog snapping taunt their run line.  They just stop!

My core strength is allowing me to push out of bad situations while retaining the ability to break my opponent’s posture in more situations.

All together, the results have been extremely positive in the first thirty days since I got back into this cross-training workout!