2024 - 04 - 01

Lung rippers, leg lock pins, and endurance shake outs were the theme this week. As always, an attentiveness to recovery (need / debt) is of the upmost importance; but it’s something I’m reminded of perpetually.

Summary:

Monday started hard with a short and brutal lung-burner. Tuesday and Sunday’s endurance sessions were creative and hit a sweet spot of attentiveness and active recovery.

Friday’s hypertrophy session could have been miserable depending on time constraints and just how much you wanted to punish yourself (e.g. “for time” or EMOM).

The week’s grappling continues to polish leg locks with an emphasis on pinning in the entangled position. This is the transition that really makes the positions and is the link between breaks (last week) and escapes (this week) / sweeps (next week).

Contents:

• Monday: FFP:013 - Opposite of What You Want / O2 Mobilization
• Tuesday: FFP:014 - Pull / Endurance
• Wednesday: NoGi BJJ - Leg Lock Sweeps and Escapes
• Thursday: NoGi BJJ - Leg Lock Pins / Entanglements
• Friday: FFP:015 - Push / Hypertrophy
• Saturday: Gi and NoGi BJJ - Leg Lock Pins
• Sunday: FFP:016 - Shakeout / Endurance

4/1/24: Capacity (O2), Level 2

Intention:

Doing the opposite of what you want might also be read as “doing what you need.” Even when “seeking discomfort” it’s common to elect a “hard” that we’re familiar with — e.g. lifters lifting heavier. As I’ll outline again in my overview of FFP, what I “need” is endurance, what I hate is O2 Mobilization (capacity).

Warm:

10 min air bike:
3:3 nasal breathing

Work:

50-40-30-20-10
Air Bike calories
Burpees

For Time:

Results:

Warm Up: 75 cal

Work: 27:42

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
The warm very insightful, I was trying to pace different breath patterns and settled on 3:3 (nasal only). It came very close to my estimated “true Zone 2” or > 30 min pace.

What didn’t work and why:
This session come from NP’s capacity manual and is supposed to be limited by O2. However, if you’re deficient enough in that energy system (as I found out for myself) this becomes a “recoverability” session where you have brief intervals or transitions to try and recoup; rather than an unrelenting grind (see below).

Plan for next time:
For me, trauma comes out my ass — literally, I’m a shitter, not a puker. Why is that relevant? Because a post-effort COPD cough and an intra-effort intense build up of acid are both characteristic of “O2 Mobilization” efforts. By contrast, efforts engaging a “recoverability” limitation often feel like a teep kick to the diaphragm followed by the aforementioned trauma response. It’s clear then that my Endurance / O2 Mobilization energy systems are still underdeveloped.

4/2/24: Pull (???), Level ???

Intention:

“Create a session that is a pull-dominant. This can be in whatever energy system you want to train.”

Warm Up:

Banded Atl. Curls (strict) x 100 (each side)
Alt. Front Kick x 50
Banded RDL x 25

Work:

1, 2, 3… 10
Banded Dislocate
Banded Pull-Apart
Banded High-Pull
Banded Straight DL
*run 40 calories between rounds (400 cals total, 55 reps each movement)

For Time:

Results:

Warm / Work: Blue SPRI Band

Work: 57:13

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
This session really hit a sweet spot. I could turn the pace up a little on the running because the exercises gave a short break which also shook up the monotony of a 1-hour session. On the transverse, a Zone 2 (ish) pace was a good flush between sets (rather than a straight set of 55 for each movement).

What didn’t work and why:
The warm up was a bit strange, but really I just wanted some supplemental and support movements that also helped my areas of need (back posture and hamstring flexibility).

Plan for next time:
There is an upcoming “test” session and the 40/400 (60-min AMRAP) is a likely candidate for myself. This session was good for range / pace finding finding in that regard.

4/3/24: Sport, Level 2

Intention:

Kyle’s class focused on sweeping from Ashi Garami (SLX) as well as breaks from double-outside ashi and then a counter-escape attack.

For myself I wanted to continue to emphasize pinning before finishing (for ground rounds) and exposing the center line to set up leg entries (from standing).

Warm Up:

Drilling, technical rounds: ~ 1 hour

Work:

2 rounds: leg attack defense
2 rounds: leg attack offense
1 round: back escapes
1 round: mount escapes

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
Simon and I reviewed some footage from ADCC and Sean’s instructional to emphasize centerline exposure to enter leg entanglements (pins) from standing. What worked well as not just “rolling the dice” cowboy-style, but strategically creating set-ups and execution.

What didn’t work and why:
I was focused on a couple entries from standing, which were thwarted when my partner wanted to do the same. The note here is to not be one sided or predictable, have multiple options. Of course, that’s more difficult to do when we’ve all been working the same techniques in class that day and know what the other is aiming for.

Plan for next time:
The next few classes I teach will be on the execution portion of sweeping because it gives context to pinning (en route to breaking). For myself though, I want to continue polishing the takedown-to-pin aspect of leg locks.

4/4/24: Sport, Level 1

Intention:

This class focused on pinning (your opponent’s hip) from leg entanglements. There were some new people in class, so I had to back up and review outside breaks; and we didn’t get to escapes. However, the concepts applied (in Chris’s video below) are:

• control the bottom leg (of course your opponent can move and change which leg is on bottom), and
• (for the top leg) elevate the knee above the hip.

Warm Up:

Drills to review outside heel hook breaking mechanics.

Work:

“Just Get Up” Drill: 10 x 30 sec

Starting from attacker’s choice of leg entanglement:
3 x 30 sec as attacker (no finishes allowed)
3 x 30 sec as defender (no finishes allowed)
3 x 30 sec as attacker (finishes and counters allowed)
3 x 30 sec as defender (finishes and counters allowed)

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
As with the previous wrestling block I coached, I’ve seen a notable improvement at all levels of our athletes regarding their breaking mechanics. Touching on this point a little every week has paid great dividends.

What didn’t work and why:
Some people are still a little skiddish of breaks or getting hurt. However, starting class in a (bad) position where you will have to get used to tapping (i.e. losing) a lot is a quick remedy that separates your ego from the outcome.

Plan for next time:
We’re well set up now for next Thursday’s class being heel hook escapes and should be able to set up some good scrimmage positions having already covered breaks and pinning.

4/5/24: Push , Level 2

Intention:

“Seek out a session that is push-dominant. Choose the energy system based on how you feel.”

Warm Up:

100m D-ball Bear Crawl (push / roll the ball while crawling)
100m D-ball Throw (layup style)

Work:

30-20-10-20-30 each:
Weighted Bear Crawl (m)
Reverse Grip Bench Press
Bulgarian Split Squat (total)

Support:

1 min deep squat “penalty” every time you paused during any bear crawl set

Results:

Bear Crawl: 2 x 30 lbs DBs
Reverse Bench: 60 lbs
Deep Squat: 6 x 1 min

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:

What didn’t work and why:

Plan for next time:

4/6/24: Sport, Level 1

Intention:

focus on pins, gi or nogi

Work:

13 x 5 min rounds, 2.5 hours

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
SLX / double-outside pins and ankle lock when heel hook defended

What didn’t work and why:
Polish / Worm to reverse-x knee bar by Buddha

Plan for next time:
Continue polishing entries from standing.

4/7/24: Shakeout (Endurance), Level 1

Intention:

“To make a capacity session a shake-out session, simply start slower than you might usually and pay attention to how your body is reacting. If you feel like you can ramp it up, then do so, if you feel like you don’t have much to give, let off the gas… Seek a session that is a shake-out session. Some classic structures like ladders (10-20-30-40-50 or 3-30 in 3s) are a way of using the first few rounds as an indicator of how you feel.”

Warm Up:

1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1
Gorilla Row (each side)
Double KB Clean (from floor)
Farmer Carry x 10m

*not for time

Work:

5-4-3-2-1-2-3-4-5
Chin Up
Lunge (each side)
Run x 10 calories

*For Time

Results:

Warm Up: 2 x 16 Kg KBs
Work: 38:38

Ending HR: 144 BPM

• After 1 min rest: 120 BPM
• After 2.5 min rest: 112 BPM
• After 4 min rest: 101 BPM

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
This session hit a sweet spot again, the warm up was initially written as 1-10, but my elbows were already blowing up so it inspired me to adjust the work portion. Additionally, I kept an eye on my heart rate throughout, so — whether I liked it or not — I dropped the treadmill speed to keep it around 140 BPM and focus on my breathing.

What didn’t work and why:
There could have been a few more chin-ups and lunges (typically “to hells” are the same high volume for each movement), but the overall session volume and pace was right where I wanted ti to be, 40-45 min of Zone 2.

Plan for next time:
The post-effort heart rate notes on recovery are pretty interesting. They suggest that after a 40 min effort I was almost fully recovered after 4 minutes. At present, I don’t have any data to compare this to but it’s a decent reference point; specifically the 1 minute recovery.