2024 - 01 - 29

This week was about finding and exploring limits, challenging and changing limitations and weaknesses.

Summary:

The early capacity sessions this week were extremely educational for learning how the cadence your body’s “machine” (breathing) pairs with the cadence of an exercise “machine” (RPM / watts).

Grappling practice has continued to focus on defensive wrestling, but this week a savvy brown belt found some holes in my defense which I elected to shore up later in the week.

Friday’s strength session was difficult, not the grindy kind of difficult I’ve become used to, but the more defeating “I just couldn’t hang” difficult. Nevertheless, the reasons why were obvious.

Contents:

• Monday: Escape Velocity Session 18 - Capacity / Recoverability
• Tuesday: Escape Velocity Session 19 - Capacity / Recoverability
• Wednesday: NoGi BJJ - bad positions, wrestling, guard passing
• Thursday: NoGi BJJ - wrestling review, progressive sparring pace
• Friday: Escape Velocity Session 20 - Strength Endurance
• Saturday: NoGi BJJ - wrestling and escaping mount
• Sunday: Escape Velocity Session 21 - Mobility

I neglected to mention previously that the “quoted parts of session ‘intentions’” are excerpts directly from Michael (@gritandteeth), entered for the respective session on The Space Program website.

1/29/24: Capacity, Level 1

Intention:

“The important part of this session is your attention to what you’re doing. Since there are no additional movements, you can focus solely on your pace and begin to create awareness around how you feel. Generally speaking, people don’t spend enough time sitting in discomfort, so they slow down at the onset. I encourage you to continually take inventory of how you’re feeling, your breathing, how high your heart rate may get, and how quickly (or not) it goes down.”

Warm:

10 minute running clock:
30 seconds box step-up 20”
30 seconds box jump 20”

Work:

Assault Bike:
30 - 60 min of work:

1 minute on, 1 minute rest
increase pace every 10 minutes

Results:

0-10 min: 55 rpm, 3sec-3sec nasal breathing, 53 calories
11-20 min: 60 rpm, 3puffs-2sec nasal breathing, 64 calories
21-30 min: 65 rpm, 2puffs-2sec nose-mouth, 79 calories
31-36 min: 70 rpm, 2puffs-2sec mouth-mouth, 54 calories

Notes:

This session was so insightful, I made an Instagram post just for it:

1/30/24: Capacity, Level 2

Intention:

“Don’t get sloppy on the weighted movements; focus on movement quality while going through them. Many players get overwhelmed by the pressure of a timer, but it is especially worth noting that training is not the real thing, it is meant to prepare you for the real thing—whatever that might mean to you individually.”

Warm Up:

8 rounds of:
30 seconds assault bike
30 seconds rest
increasing pace each round

Then, 8 rounds of:
EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute)
5x burpee-box-jump 20”

Work:

Every 6 Minutes for 30 minutes (E6M/30)
12x DB box-step-up 20”
6x DB burpee-deadlift
90sec “hard” effort on assault bike

Results:

Warm Up:
55, 60, 62, 65, 70, 75, 77, 77 RPM

Work:
2 x 35 lbs. DBs
Round 1: 16 cal
Round 2: 16 cal
Round 3: 19 cal
Round 4: 21 cal
Round 5: 24 cal

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
If you were properly attentive to the former session, this one went a lot easier. 90 seconds is basically a “sprint”, but a relative one given the drag in your legs from the exercises.

What didn’t work and why:
I had too keep myself accountable here and not let myself off the hook, resting more than a breath or two between each movement. That would defeat the purpose and would be better suited for one long rounds.

Plan for next time:
When in doubt, start at Zone 2 (about 55 RPM for me) and just keep going. You can’t win a race in the first minute, but you can definitely lose it.

1/31/24: Sport, Level 2

Intention:

This session was a review of guard passing taught by Kyle. I knew we’d be working wrestling as well, so I wanted to focus on not getting taken down and counter wrestling.

Warm Up:

6 minutes, “Hip Catch” game (trying to connect hands around partner’s hips from standing / neutral position).

Work:

1.5 hour class + positional sparring (including mount escapes)

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
My wrestling is feeling sharper, focusing on not making mistakes, down-blocking the front leg, and looking for counter-opportunities.

What didn’t work and why:
Simon, a brown belt, did a good job creating dilemmas from the top position and caught me in a rear-naked choke. It was the head-foot back-and-forth threat that caused my elbows to open up and as I closed them, my neck got exposed.

Plan for next time:
Make time for mount escape rounds at open mat on Saturday.

2/1/24: Sport, Level 1

Intention:

This class focused on progressive resistance, starting with the wrestling concepts we’ve been covering all month. The goal was to apply a “flow rolling” pace (i.e. playful) to positional training so that there is not the binary of “hitting off a tee” and then right into “live pitches.”

Warm Up:

6 minutes grip fighting, new partner every minute

Work:

About 0.5 hour of movement for me,
light drilling and sparring.

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
Being prepared to down-block in all circumstances saved me from several guillotine chokes and created opportunities to re-shoot for a takedown.

What didn’t work and why:
My wrestling is decent for BJJ, but not fantastic for pure wrestling. Continuing to pressure test concepts in pure-wrestling will be needed.

Plan for next time:
Stay patient, don’t force takedowns. Like any other attack or submission, the opportunity needs created and we need to have multiple options from within that opportunity.

2/2/24: Strength, Level 2

Intention:

“The weight should be challenging enough that you can get a good chunk of the work completed, but you should always have to bike outside of the set of 25x potentially, but even that is not a given.”

Warm Up:

3 sets of KB complex (no rest between movements):
Deadlift x5
Rack Squat x5
Swing x5
Clean and Press x5

Work:

On 6-minute clock:
DB Bench Press x 100
*when you break, finish remaining reps in calories on bike.

Right into, 5-minute clock:
DB Bench Press x 75
*when you break, finish remaining reps in calories on bike.

Right into, 4-minute clock:
DB Bench Press x 50
*when you break, finish remaining reps in calories on bike.

Right into, 3-minute clock:
DB Bench Press x 25
*when you break, finish remaining reps in calories on bike.

Results:

Warm Up: 2 x 16 KG KBs

Round 1:
2 x 50 lb DBs x 21 reps
38 cal / 3 min

Round 2:
2 x 35 lb DBs x 26 reps
25 cal / 2 min

Round 3:
2 x 35 lb DBs x 25 reps
25 cals / 1:50 (round completed)

Round 4:
2 x 35 lb DBs x 25 reps
1:53 remaining

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
Not a lot went right this session, but I did learn that my “capacity” for intensity is about 4 min (Round 3).

What didn’t work and why:
Clearly I hit a wall early. The “male” weight of 2 x 50lbs was way too much for me. Additionally, if I had punched for more calories on the bike in Round 1 and Round 2, I would have likely ran out of time which would defeat the purpose of separate rounds.

Plan for next time:
Horizontal press movements are hard / underdeveloped for me. Additionally, it’s getting harder and harder to ignore the profound importance of an aerobic foundation.

2/3/24: Sport, Level 2

Intention:

Today’s intention was to focus on not making mistakes wrestling, and to dial in mount escapes.

Warm Up:

None… the house was packed and everyone was rearing to go.

Work:

5 minute rounds:
Wrestling x 4
Mount Escapes x 3
Drill x 2
Rest x 5

Result:

Work-Rest: 0.64
Focus: 50% (wrestling + mount rounds)

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
In the wrestling department, things felt sharp. With a few exceptions, I only really got taken down when I made a mistake — like letting my hands get high, not keeping contact / control, etc. As for mount escapes, it was a quick clean up to keep my chin tucked (“lick your armpit and shrug your shoulders” is the cue I give).

What didn’t work and why:
I still could do a little better not forcing takedowns, and setting up opportunities; as well as remembering to follow through on shots (shoot-re-shoot) because good grapplers won’t just fall over for any old double-leg.

Plan for next time:
Find time for slow paced rounds to play with set ups and chain wrestling.

2/4/24: Strength, Level 2

Intention:

“Even if some of these movements are not yet possible, practice moving through them with some assistance from your hands. Freedom of movement is rarely expressed. I’m not as concerned with technical execution in this session as I am with moving smoothly and naturally.”

Warm Up:

3 x 10 of each:
Alternating Kicks
Single-Leg Deadlift (2 x 35 lbs DBs)
Air Squat

Work:

10x Prone Hip CARs
10x Knee CARs / leg

RAIL/PAIL rotation on hip (90-90 position)
RAIL/PAIL rotation on knee (heelhook / toehold yourself)

20 sets of bodyweight flow:
Starting from deep squat,
Deck squat + deep crouch + candlestick
Long lunge + Cossack squat + deep squat
*repeat on other leg

Results:

https://youtube.com/shorts/6Kc0Zimi5T8

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
Overall this was a fun session to explore some different movements and really attack the hip joints. I don’t know that I hit all 20 reps, but it was a fun exploration seeing how much assistance I needed it and where.

What didn’t work and why:
For the last several sets I worked on each segment of the flow by itself, but trying to taper off support / assistance.

Plan for next time:
These types of sessions are really good “active recovery” where the movements are difficult, but the pace and intensity are very relaxed.