When it comes to training jiu-jitsu, more is not always better. Simply going hard and doing more is not always better either. Yet in Western culture, we are duped into always thinking that more and even excess will make us feel better and more fulfilled.
Training is a Stressor!
We must remember that training in and of itself is a stressor to the body. There are actually very few things that could never be classified as a “stressor,” with sleep being the only one I can identify offhand unless you get too much of it. Handled the right way (i.e. proper movement mechanics, breathing, and ultimately rest after the fact), training will build you up in a positive fashion.
For the hard-charging athlete or “weekend warrior,” training in a very unconscious way (poor movement mechanics, disordered breathing, overextending and attempting to train too much) leads to injury, disease, or something of the sort down the line. An accumulation of stressors without the proper amount of time to process and recover will lead to the body and nervous system not cooperating with you as it should.
How I Superset to Work Recovery Into My Sessions
Within my training programs, I’m a proponent of stressing the body in an intense fashion and then pairing it with exercises that “build you up”. This would include an intense strength movement like the deadlift.
Follow this with a not so intense step-up exercise to activate certain muscles to help us on our next deadlift set.
I show this movement here:
We then pair this with a mobility exercise that compliments both exercises. This creates a feedback cycle that balances intensity and more “softer” physiological manipulation to leave you walking out of the gym feeling better than when you walked in.
It’s a subtle art to pair exercises together in a fashion that will create a “residual effect” that carries into the next set or next exercise. The goal should be to create stress in a fashion and implement the proper movements, breath, and ordering to create a positive physiological effect.
How To Display These Sentiments on the Mats
Remember I mentioned that moving with poor mechanics, inefficient breathing, and doing too much will eventually lead to you breaking your body down? We must first focus on our breathing. This alone will “heal” a lot of negatives with our training.
Secondly, we focus on breathing through our nose and lower belly.
Only then can we progress into proper movement mechanics, which begins with creating a solid and stable core founded upon these breathing mechanics — especially ones that have great “bang for the buck” like the one below.
Tying these two principles of training together right away will make you more conscious in your training and ultimately lead to getting more lasting positive “gains.”
Final Considerations
Focus on breathing and core engagement to give yourself the foundation to be efficient with your training on the mats. When it comes to structuring your supplementary training, keep these principles in mind while also paying close attention to ordering, pairing of exercises, and also the amount of time you’re spending on each exercise and your entire workout.
Mobillity Training in Action
I’m releasing my first video product and 12 week training program “Secrets to Soft, Stable, Strong, and Supple Low Back/Hips”.
You can find the preorder HERE. It’ll be live for a few more weeks before the sale ends.
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