2024 - 05 - 13

I’ve officially started endurance training again! I still hate it, but it’s a hate I can live with. Maybe because I know I need it; maybe because learning to suffer is learning to love.

Summary:

Coming out of the Free Fall Program (review coming soon!) I was left with the same training deficits as when I began. That’s not to say the program wasn’t effective; it’s just saying that 8 weeks of GPP wasn’t enough to correct 20 years of over/misuse of certain movements and energy systems and the neglect of others.

It was a bit of a hurdle just to get myself started because in contrast to the last endurance-focused block I did, the programming is all on me. That means there’s no pre-written plan to keep me accountable or even on schedule. Nevertheless, I jumped right in with 2 x 35+ minute sessions this week and still managed to tackle mobility.

This week’s grappling continued with the transition between attacking lower-body and upper-body limbs; via butterfly guard and shoulder cruches this week.

As an aside, I’ve taken up the habit of deep squatting while I brush my teeth. That’s an extra 2 - 4 minutes / day which is certainly better than nothing; particularly if I don’t let my t-spine get lazy.

Contents:

• Monday: Passive Rest
• Tuesday: Monostructural Endurance
• Wednesday: NoGi BJJ w/ simon; sase and armbar
• Thursday: NoGi BJJ; transitioning from leg to upper body attacks via butterfly guard
• Friday: Monostructural Endurance
• Saturday: NoGi BJJ / butterfly guard and shoulder crunch
• Sunday: Strength / Mobility - hips, shoulders, hamstrings

5/14/24: Endurance, Level 1

Intention:

There was a multifaceted goal this session: 1) get started, working from home has slowed some things down and it’s easy to be stuck at my desk all day; 2) assess current state, am I ready for a “novice” vs. “noob” program; 3) aim for something you don’t want to do, but stop before recovery becomes an issue (live to train tomorrow).

Warm Up:

Walk Dogs + Breath (1:1:1)
~10 min or 0.5 miles

Work:

Zone 2: 30 - 40 minutes

Support:

Deep Squat while brushing teeth:
~2 x 2 min

Results:

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
Notably, my heart rate was very consistent. What this tells me is that I did a good job on the back end of “learning Zone 2” even if I’m not fast or good at it; I know how to get in and stay in that gear. There weren’t any huge peaks or valleys in the HR and pace was more variable depending on terrain.

What didn’t work and why:
It was kind of a circus running with 2 strong dogs for the first time (hence the first big dip in pace) but eventually we figured it out. Also, it took at least 10 minutes to warm up where I was rather grumpy and already wanted to quit.

Plan for next time:
I felt surprisingly good 30 minutes in, I don’t know if I could have gone for another 30, but I had to pee and had already passed my goal for the day. This is a hopeful start to build on over the next few months.

5/15/24: Sport, Level 1

Intention:

I dropped in for Simon’s lunch class where he focused on a NoGi variation of Sasae to various armbar sequences on the ground.

Work:

~30 min drilling (see video below)
~30 min positional training (armbar attacks / escapes)

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
My judo isn’t great, but having good partners makes it fun to explore different combinations. Personally, I found Ouchi > Sasae > Osoto to click well this session.

What didn’t work and why:
In judo especially, we need “good partners” that want to “play the game” with us. What I mean is that if a partner is standing in an upright / erect posture (as is common place in judo because you’re not allowed to tackle the legs ala wrestling), then we can “play judo.” However, if they start to draw their hips back, we’re entering into wrestling territory. Either is fine if we have an “open” match / round / style; it’s a pain in the butt when we’re trying to train a specific element.

Plan for next time:
The stand up worked very well here, and it was also a chance to work on armbars / escapes. As I’ve mentioned before (and below) this block of classes I’m teaching is focused on upper body attacks — namely armbars and guillotines.

5/16/24: Sport, Level 1

Intention:

In my class this week we began our transition to transitioning from lower body to upper body attacks. The platform for this was butterfly guard. We also covered “wrestling” from our knees and the same snap-downs and guillotines that we use from our feet.

Warm Up:

Review butterfly sweeps / elevation to outside and inside leg entanglements.

Work:

Drilling snap downs, guillotines, shoulder crunch sweep, and armbars.

Positional sparring (score or submit):

• From top-mounted armbar (spiderweb overtime position)
• From top-mount with shoulder crunch.
• From upright butterfly guard with shoulder crunch.

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
I got good feedback from students bout classes flowing together.

What didn’t work and why:
Folks were a little too “nice” on the snap downs and guillotines, but the pace of the class was chill overall so I just went with it.

Plan for next time:
Next week we’ll look at “arm saddles” and well as “wrestling from our butts.”

5/17/24: Endurance, Level 1

Intention:

Endurance > 30 min (Zone 2)
Monostructural session

Work / Results:

3.2 miles, 12:09 pace, 38:55 total

Support:
2 min deep squat
Morning walk/breathing with dogs (1:1:1)

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
The pace felt good this session, though I feel like the dogs were pulling me a long a little bit. The duration was about right, I wanted more than 30 minutes, but also wanted to push just a bit past the last session (36 minutes).

What didn’t work and why:
Once again taking both dogs was a bit of a juggling act. In fact, it was a lesson in maturity. Dean (8 yo) plods and trots along just fine. Jade (1 yo) wants to sprint, then get jerked on the leach, then whimper behind, then repeat. Also, my big toe joints were super sore because I was trying to be conscious of my food angle and lifting my foot flat (like a tib-raise).

Plan for next time:
I was thinking of a progression of adding 5-10 minutes to each week’s sessions, but I also like the idea of edging in a little more each session, even if it’s only a couple minutes. At least for the mono-sessions. The tempo and mobility sessions I have coming are meant to be compensators, so that they can scale depending on how rough the week’s grappling has been.

5/18/24: Sport, Level 2

Intention:

This session I wanted to implement what I was showing in class and try to really emphasize (butt scooting) and creating angles / off-balances from upper body attacks (shoulder crunch / arm saddle) that would open leg entries.

Work:

10 x 5 min rounds
1.5 - 2 hours total

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
I did not find a ton of efficacy with dragging people to the ground when I was sitting and they were standing (e.g. no one was dumb enough to just plop down on my butterfly hooks). However, I did find that hand fighting and centerline exposures / misalignments of even the slightest degree were very help in creating offensive opportunities.

What didn’t work and why:
When I did drag people in, or get them to drag me to them, and swept with a shoulder crunch, sometimes I would get caught in their butterfly hooks on top. However, a quick adjustment I made was to — after sweeping — immediately “float pass” or start looking from my arm saddle series; albeit from the top position rather than with my back to the floor.

Plan for next time:
All in all, this series is coming together nicely and feeds very well into back takes (and attacks) and is a great segue between leg attacks and back attacks.

5/19/24: Strength (Mobility), Level 2

Intention:

Mobility training is neither static or passive. The emphasis is on moving, opposed to holding (tension) — that’s the definition of strength. However, strength-style session with high volumes and intentionally chosen target movements have been a reliable way for me to tackle mobility without something as bland as “just (passively) stretch for an hour.”

Warm Up:

Bike Zone 2: 10 min

Work:

5 rounds of:
1 min deep squat + 10m alt. kicks

Then, 4 rounds of:
5x Overhead Squat

Then, 3 rounds of:
6x Romanian Dead Lift (reverse grip)

Then, 2 rounds of:
7x Straight Leg Dead Lift (reverse grip)

Then, 1 round of:
1 min Dead Hang (reverse grip)

Results:

Warm: 85 cal

Work:
OHS and Dead Lifts - 65 lbs.

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
As stated in the intention the goal here wasn’t load, but “time in the hole” or under tension, was a secondary target. That means high volume and emphasis on quality. In this week’s photo (top), I’m actually pushing off the barbell to get as much of a cow-stretch as I can and really flatten my back at the bottom of the RDLs.

What didn’t work and why:
This session was programmed on the fly which I typically don’t like to do — ad hoc. This is because it allows emotions to rule the day. If I’m “not feeling it” or tell myself so, I can let myself off the hook intra-session. However, if I make an according assessment, plan, and program ahead of time that includes adequate rest, that’s a different story.

Plan for next time:
I wanted to keep my weekly programming at: 3x BJJ, 2x Mono-endurance, 1x tempo-endruarnce, and 1x mobility. However, I’m not sure if that’s sustainable for 8-weeks; especially given that in a review of my health (that will be releasing in June) my biomarkers are suggesting I rest more. That, of course, means I can still go hard, I just need to choose when and under what conditions more wisely and selectively.