80% Of Grapplers Train Wrong Before Competition

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Transcript

Welcome And How To Submit Questions

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Hey, what's up? Welcome to the Bulletproof for BJJ QA episode. JT and I are going to answer your questions today. Three of them. If you want to leave us a question for an upcoming episode, go to bulletproof for bjj.com, hit the podcast tab, and record us one. Jiu Jitsu Politics, training tips, strength, mobility, whatever you like. We're here for it. First one coming in, no name on this.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

Hey guys, this is Dan from the States. I've got a competition question for you. So I'm 45 years old. I'm on the skinnier side, um, 150 pounds, and I'm a purple belt. I've done small regional competitions, but I've got my eye on doing pans or worlds for my first time next year. So here's my question. Um, my coach um really is kind of role-oriented, um, really wanting me to come into the gym more and more and more as the date nears um for said competition. I have been on your program um doing mobility and strength for some months now. Um, would you suggest some kind of periodization where I do actually increase my rolling time or kind of stick more to the strength mobility and going, you know, about five times a week to the gym leading up? Thank you so much for all of your help. Really appreciate you guys. Love the podcast, love the program.

SPEAKER_03 1:24

Uh what a legend. Cheers, Dan. Love it to hear it, man. Um shall I go first? Please. Well, I suppose what you're what you're saying there, Dan, is that uh Dan? David.

SPEAKER_02 1:36

I I messed it up. I I heard Dan. I apologize. My hearing is not so good. D. D. Killer D.

SPEAKER_03 1:43

Um the I'm I'm hearing what you're saying is that it's it's kind of a bit of a trade-off for you in a sense with your schedule that like you can either stick to the program and like go to the gym X amount of times, but that only leaves you so much time for jujitsu. But jujitsu is asking more of you leading up to the comp. I think that, yes, some kind of periodization seems to be the thing. I don't think um, like if we're looking at like the six weeks leading up to comp, you're not gonna be making huge strength or mobility gains in that sort of time frame. So it's probably better to take the good work that you've done in the gym, bring that down to more of a maintenance level, and focus on the jiu-jitsu, especially if that's going to help you build confidence around your game and it's what your coach thinks is the best approach. Um, I would still keep going to the gym, uh, just back off on the intensity and maybe the volume a little bit, but still keep going a couple times a week just to keep everything turning over. And look, I'd still be chasing gains. Uh, I just don't think you need to be going quite as much. Uh, and you could sort of taper that in two phases. If you're six weeks out now, maybe you pull back by a session or two, and then maybe two weeks out you pull back by another session or so. What do you think?

SPEAKER_02 2:54

Yeah, I I I would generally agree with all of that. I'd say that relevant to the rolling piece, you want to consider those big tournaments. Um, there's a lot more folks, right? And so you definitely your conditioning really needs to be on point that your um whatever you're doing with your sparring rounds, you need to have done enough volume there. So, yeah, super stoked that you're using our app. Uh, we appreciate it. And uh I think that that is gonna serve you well, but if you haven't built up to being able to do, say, you know, five to ten rounds, now you could be doing, you know, one round on, one round off, and do that over the time, but really you're probably gonna have anywhere from, provided you're successful, you know, uh five to you know, 10 matches. Like blue and purple belt are actually huge categories now, especially something like pans. Yeah, it used to be like white and blue, but all those white belts and blue belts are, you know, they're where you are now. And actually, they're kind of where you are around that kind of 150-pound weight category, that's actually a lot of there's plenty of guys there. So I would say you want to make sure that you've gotten in a good volume of jujitsu training. And yeah, similar to what Joey's saying, that you would maintain your um strength conditioning work, but that wouldn't be the focus per se. And yeah, two weeks out you would look to taper.

What Belts Mean In Training

SPEAKER_03 4:20

Very nice. My best of luck with it. Sorry we fucking blanked on your name. No, I didn't blank. I remember it as Dan. Yeah, I think you got it right. I think so. I was uh yeah, I was I was the one that got it wrong. Cheers, Dan. Next one, no name again.

SPEAKER_04 4:35

Hey boys, John from Cleveland, Ohio. Fucking John. And love your podcast. You guys do awesome, awesome stuff, and you put it out there for free. I just wanted to express some serious gratitude because the mobility, like all of the PT background with the deep jujitsu as well, is phenomenal. And I'm sorry I haven't signed up for Bulletproof for BJJ because dude, like the stuff you put out is so valuable, I kind of don't need it. So anyway, and I hope anybody listening to this still signs up. What I want to bring up though is there is a difference between two main factors is where I see jujitsu now. There is no gi versus gi, and there's a training belt versus a competitive belt. Because you can be so good in training in the gi, you can be so good in competition in no-gi. But the cross section of how we figure out belts and everything like that, because it's all about what you can do, right? In sparring. What what can this person actually do to me in sparring, especially if we go hard, which I think is right for discussion. And I just wanted to put that out there for you guys because I'm coming up on my black belt, and obviously it's not that simple, right?

SPEAKER_02 6:06

Right. No, it's a great job.

SPEAKER_03 6:07

Drum with a good talking point.

SPEAKER_02 6:08

I love the accent. Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland, and uh yeah, I love how you just qualified all that. You're like, you guys are the bastion. I love it, but I haven't signed up for the app. But whatever, get it for free, baby. Um, that's all good, man. Look, no, I agree with that. And and look, there is a there is a big difference between somebody who is a competitor and is trying to be the best, and somebody who just trains in the gym. And I think we're we're all pretty aware of that. But there's also a big difference between someone being a competitor who just got their brown belt and someone, maybe like yourself, who's maybe been on the brown belt for some time, also competes and is pretty much a black belt. You are gonna mince that brown belt. You know what I mean? Like, I remember the first time I went to Worlds and I watched these two brown belts beat the fuck out of each other. And I was like, whoa, this is a level of intensity I haven't seen before. But it's because these two brown belts are trying to prove to their coach I deserve my fucking black belt. And to get me out of this fucking brown belt division, please. And it's that I guess the thing is if you are a competitor, the standard is different. You're trying to win championships, you're trying to beat everyone, so that's the bar you measure yourself by. Whereas if you're someone who trains because you love jujitsu, and yeah, obviously you're trying to get better, but it's a totally different bar to be measured by. So, yes, there is g and that standard, and there is no gi, and there's that standard, but yeah, there's a there's a huge difference between somebody who is trying to be the best in the world and somebody who's just trying to be the best in their gym. And I I think there's no controversy in saying that, even though there's probably more to unpack.

SPEAKER_03 7:46

Yeah, so was John's point there that like that sort of what you can do and like the like basically how much of a savage you are is kind of the key metric that matters. Is that his observation?

SPEAKER_02 7:58

I I I think he because his interest is I I sense that's the way he's leaning, right? Like that's his his own conclusion. Yeah. I I think there is still you can have somebody who can be so knowledgeable and very good at communicating, and therefore they're gonna be a better coach than someone who's just a savage. Like, yeah, we can measure jujitsu by what you can do, but if you are also can't share that with anyone, then you're a little bit limited because, like, yeah, it's like it it's this idea of like coach versus athlete. Like, yes, you can get people who are great examples of how to do jujitsu, but it doesn't mean that that uh grows jujitsu culture because as soon as they quit or as soon as they get injured, that uh that their story ends there. You know, whereas if you've got somebody who's uh loves jujitsu, like we can see so many examples throughout history in sport of people who weren't necessarily the greatest of all time as athletes, even though they were very good, who became the great coaches.

SPEAKER_03 9:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:07

You know, they they would they were good, but as a coach, they stood above all else. And so I think my only pushback on that one there, mate, is yes, jujitsu is about what you can demonstrate in real time through like rolling and competing, but as also your ability to communicate and and share the ideas has huge value too. So you can't just throw that away.

SPEAKER_03 9:30

Yeah, and I I I I push back from the perspective that like I think it's an oversimplification to assume that everyone is being ranked on the same, the same standards or by the same standards, because you simply cannot apply the same standards to a 20-year-old fucking university student premium athlete to a 57-year-old dad who's busted up from his previous sporting interests and is also trying to like and they're both purple belts.

SPEAKER_02 10:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:04

It's like you just can't. And so, and and as you get closer to black belt, that only becomes more apparent that it is a very individual journey for each person. It's a spectrum. Yeah, and so in that, and you know, like um, you know, my coach, our good friend Adam, said that to me. Is like, I don't everyone's black belt, everyone's journey to black belt is different, and also not everyone's gonna get to black belt, like not everyone's deserving, you know. So I think that's I do think that's very important. Um, but potentially, give you know, depending on your context, yeah, sometimes it is. I want to see what you can do.

SPEAKER_02 10:37

Well, yeah, there is there isn't great truth in the you say you got a good guard? Let's see. Yeah, do the do the freaking thing. Yeah, you can't just talk technique. That's I think that's that is a great thing about jujitsu. So yeah, man. I'm I'm I'm I'm with you, but I think the nuance is the is the the ability to share. I I think there's value in that.

SPEAKER_03 10:59

Buy the program. Get on the app, site and legend. So good. Just send us some coins in an envelope and let us thank you.

Sponsor Break And Discount Code

SPEAKER_02 11:07

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Big Boy Identity And Shoulder Advice

SPEAKER_03 11:50

Third question for the day, big boy.

SPEAKER_01 11:53

Oh JT Joey, absolutely love the show. Um been bulletproof in my knees, been bulletproof in my back, you know, using the program intermittently to be able to, you know, really bulletproof my body for Juja. So I really appreciate the work you do there. But what I'm struggling with is being able to bulletproof my feelings. Um because you know, when I'm on the line and coach is kind of partnering his up, what he'll do is it'll point to two people and he'll go, big boys, you're together. And it doesn't point at me and say, big boy. And I feel like I'm a I'm a big boy.

SPEAKER_02 12:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:31

I'm five foot eleven and three quarters, I weigh eighty seven kilograms. Six foot. You know, I really you know, those words hit me, I guess. So I was wondering if you had any tactics for me to seem like a bigger boy, you know, maybe that's what's missing. I need to be a bigger boy. Uh and then he'll say that to me. Um also my shoulders really messed up from not leaving in Americana. So if you've got any uh stuff on what I can do uh with that, I think that'd be great. Thanks.

SPEAKER_03 12:58

Uh big boy in Nottingham. Represent. So you're not getting called big boy and it's getting you down. I can understand that. No one wants to hear that.

SPEAKER_02 13:08

Hey, one of the most insulting things uh I had received as a comment was from my sister at Christmas, which was you lost weight. What the yeah, what I was I was aghast. Yeah, uh, I I couldn't indignant, I I couldn't speak. Imagine that. Look, I know that pain uh being a big-ish boy, but I hang out in spaces with big Ur boys. So by contrast, it's hard.

SPEAKER_03 13:35

You're the same height as us. You're the same height, similar. Yep, just the same height as you're stub six foot. Yeah. But um not not but you're 87 kilos. That's that's a good weight. It's a good weight, but it's not small. I I think it's not small by any means. No, I think I'm 90 though.

SPEAKER_02 13:51

JT's like 109. I'm 98, 97. But that's look, it's to the weight to the side. Two two things. I I I think there's there's there's a couple of elements here. One, you need to be smashing creatine. You need to get a ton of water retention going on. It will help you be a bigger boy. Steak and creatine, it'll help. Second thing, traps and neck thickness. That's how you get the big boy look. Um, it'll help you, jujitsu too, having a stronger neck and having big traps, but it also forearms. Like that, that's that's the thing, too. I was gonna say this about Raspberry Act. When you see him, shout out, um, his forearms are ridiculous. Yeah, five arms. Uh, even amongst, even amongst, you know, big people, you just like, yeah, damn. The guy's got you know the uh bowling ball pins on there, like it's crazy girth to the forearms and traps, you see it straight away. You know, it's one of those things when someone is very jacked and they've kind of got the big upper back, you go, hang on, there's there's a bump before the shoulders. Yeah what is that? And whether you, you know, you're actually looking for strength or you're just going for straight big boy aesthetics, traps and forearms are key.

SPEAKER_03 15:07

Yeah, I I do think that they are the hallmarks of someone that is truly strong. Hench. Like it it tells you like, oh, like forearms, neck, upper, like back generally. Someone with a big back, you're like, oh shit, they look actually strong. Yeah. Um, and I mean shit, it's fucking great for jits.

SPEAKER_02 15:26

Oh yeah. No, no, there's no downside to having a bigger, thicker neck and strong traps.

SPEAKER_03 15:31

Um, and then just fucking eating more food. Yeah. Like just eat more. If you, you know, if you were like, I want to get bigger, and just fucking, you gotta eat like it's a job.

SPEAKER_02 15:39

And look, you can't bulletproof feelings, my bro. Um sorry, our app won't do that for you. Therapy might, but fucking stay away from that shit because the trauma will fuel you towards bigger gains in the gym.

SPEAKER_03 15:51

Yeah, I'm also just gonna throw out uh don't get too caught up in the fact that you don't, you you you sound in good shape. Yeah. You sound plenty big.

SPEAKER_02 15:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:00

And look, here's what I know. If you keep doing your your strength and mobility work and you keep grappling, I don't know how long you're doing it. If you keep doing it, you're gonna get bigger and thicker. And all those areas we spoke about are gonna get more jacked. Like, you know, you your neck, it's all gonna start, you you will become the the fucking, you will become that person. The big boy you dream to be.

SPEAKER_02 16:19

That's right. Also and are destined to be. Destined to be. Look, I'm also gonna say, if you can pick up a big boy and throw him on the ground, you you're a big boy. Yeah, you know what I mean? So I think that that you know, whatever part of your game, bit more wrestling, bit more takedown action, that that brings the big boy aura. That's that.

Wrap Up And Send Questions

SPEAKER_03 16:38

Great fucking questions today. Two from the States, one from the one from England. Uh fucking, let's get some more going, fam. Send us a question. Go to Bulletproof at BJJ.com, hit the podcast tab, leave us one. We'll catch you on a future episode. Appreciate y'all.