Preventing muscle loss during training

[TBanks]

I'm just about to start BJJ training, the class is about 1 1/2 hours long and very intense. I've been weight training 4 days a week for over 5 years and have made some very nice gains in strength. I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on preventing muscle loss during training. Thank you in advance for your help.

[Maxetai]

I'm just about to start BJJ training, the class is about 1 1/2 hours long and very intense. I've been weight training 4 days a week for over 5 years and have made some very nice gains in strength. I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on preventing muscle loss during training. Thank you in advance for your help.

Cut down your weight training to 2-3 times per week tops.
With only one condition: Train with heavier weights (increase the poundage) every time you go into the gym. You might end up going to the gym once a week or even less, but hey, you'll have time foer for BJJ.
Your body needs more time to recover from the weights than what you're giving it.
Don't believe me? You don't have to.
Check out Pete Sisco's books "Power Factor Training" and "Static Contraction"
Here is his website: http://www.precisiontraining.com/index.cfm

[TBanks]

Thanks for the reply and the link Maxetai. To clarify, I'm only training each body part one time per week, to allow enough recovery time, keeping each session under 45 mins. I also train in the 4-6 rep range, MAX-OT style, which has given me the best results as far as strength goes. I wasn't sure if anyone is doing anything pre or post BJJ workout, nutrition-wise to prevent muscle loss. Thanks again.

[cboog]

increase your carbs(good carbs) and protein(protein shakes, meal replacements)

[kicker2000]

You could take protien supplyments

[BadgerFu57]

jiu-jitsu will keep your long muscle fibers in good shape.... it's a very good workout. as for your short muscle fibers, just do some maintenance lifting.

once you get comfortable with the mat, you won't have to expend as much energy grappling which will leave more energy for weight-lifting. some people i know weight-lift in the morning and have class at night. i weight-lift after class (for endurance and stamina, i don't worry about heavy weights and strength right now). just find what works for you.

But Jiu-Jitsu is one of the best workouts for long-muscle fibers, and the stronger they are, the stronger all your lifts will be.

[TBanks]

thanks for the input everyone

Thank you all for the help. This is my first time posting in these forums and I'm very impressed with the community.

I tired my standard pre and post workout nutrition, protein/carb/glutamine shake, before and after my first class yesterday and it seemed to work well. It was an incredible workout, especially rolling at the end against a purple belt. I can't believe how relaxed he was, while I was spending huge amounts of energy. I imagine that that just comes with experience and practice, how to move well and relax while grappling. I'm excited about learning the skills.

Thanks again everyone!

[Combat Cherokee]

Functional Strength

BJJ and all grappling arts like it(sambo, pankration, catch as catch can, and so on) will help you get much stronger, not always bigger, but stronger. All the exercises used to make your BJJ better also help your functional strength. Weights will make you big and a strong lifter, but BJJ and functional strength drill will make a strong person. This is why alot of power lifters dont allways look like body builders, and are often alot stronger. You need both weights and functional stregth drills, they will help each other and you will like the results.

As for supplements
CGT 10 by optimum nutrition(good mix or creatine, glutamine, and taurine)
Whey Protien
IsoPure(taste great and wont give you stomache funk if your lactose intolerant)
Any Whey(can be cooked into food and is tastless)
ProComplex(Good mix of protiens, source of BCaa's and other supplements)
Nitric Oxide
MSN(just cause BJJ can be hard on the joints)
HMB
CLA

-C-

[3trees]

Overtraining should be your first issue

Some good answers in this thread. Here's my two cents.

While not fully compatible with hypertrophy (muscular growth), BJJ training is likely to be far more muscle-sparing than if you started, say, training to run marathons (an absolute muscle eater). Instead, because BJJ training can be intense in terms of muscular and CNS demands, I would think hard about how you wanna approach lifting after you start BJJ. If you continue with a four day split and train BJJ more than once a week, you'll likely overtrain within three weeks. If you're not familiar with the results of overtraining, there are plenty of internet resources that will inform you. A summary includes: fatigue, inability to sleep, decreased strength, decreased overall fitness, decreased motivation.

If that grabbed your attention, here's an idea that might help. You have to decide what your priorities are and address your overall training to them, in order. If you're a body builder and train BJJ just for fun or curiousity, then keep training at your present pace, but only hit the mat once a week. Consider reorganizing your split so that it falls over a 10 or 14 day period instead of seven. That way, you might get a week where you lift twice and roll two or three times, followed by a week where you lift three times but only roll once or twice.

Some of the other guys had some good ideas and you sound like you're knowlegeable on your workout nutrition. Don't forget to add good fats to your workout drinks (pre and post). These include fish oils and flax oil. Also, some of the research indicates creatine can assist in post workout recovery, but you have to hydrate like crazy or you'll get muscular cramps while grappling for long periods of time (like during your open mat time).

I like to roll three times a week and I surf and lift so I had to really think hard about how to accomplish my own goals, all while working full time and being a dad and husband. Safe to say, my family thinks I am a machine, but I am fit and rarely verge on overtraining.

david, seattle

[aaronmason]

I am no expert but I have been going tot he gym for about a year now and i think that if i eat 30-45 minutes before the work out it helps. I alays eat some sort of meat and drink milk. After the work-out I also have a nice meal to stuff me up!!!! After that I hybernate in a fixed state until the next time becuase I al so tensed and full up! Seriously though, my instructor recommeded doing this.

I think that it helps to stretch properly before and after a work-out to get the most benefit.

I do not know if any of this will help you becuase you have far more expericnce than me but at least I tried!!!

Good luck


Aaron Mason

[Megawolf]

I would say drink lots and lots of milk. Helps you sleep better at night and helps build strong bones and the calcium and protein in it help maintain if not build more and stronger muscles. As the commercial goes, "Milk, does your body good." and that's quite true.

[squidd]

I would say drink lots and lots of milk. Helps you sleep better at night and helps build strong bones and the calcium and protein in it help maintain if not build more and stronger muscles. As the commercial goes, "Milk, does your body good." and that's quite true.

lucky you and all that can drink milk. i'm lactose intolerant and lactose-free milk is not easily available here.

i would also like to ask another question related to this thread is it possible to be a so-so bjj practitioner without doing weights? we all do a bunch of running, tumbling, and contortion exercises that make the body hurt real bad. but the really good bjj guys i know all do weights. is there a way to get to sat borderline white-and-blue belt without doing weights? will it take longer just because the person did not do weights?

thanks in advance to everyone.