Weight and Aerobics for BJJ

[JuijitsuMan]

Question.

I've chosen to train with weights and aerobics for sport bjj. I've also chosen to do both in the same day (Same workout 10 min apart).

My question is would I benefit more from doing the aerobics before the weights or after?

I read in a really good sports training book that the answer lies with the components of your class. So if your class is more aerobic oriented do the cardio first , if its more strength oriented do the weights first.

I plan on fighting mostly from the offensive guard position so I'm not doing any lay and pray strategies. I will be working for a submission constantly.

On the other hand I'm close to 40 have had injuries , and have a small frame. I feel I need the strength to resist injury and to apply my submission holds effectively.

So no doubt i will do both but the question is really the order?

Any suggestions? And do any of you here use this exact same approach.


Thanks

Juijitsuman

[JuijitsuMan]

C'mon People

Lots of views and no posts. How about some input? Don't be shy!

juitsuman

[Filero]

My kneejerk response is always "weights before cardio!". But the advice you've gotten is correct -- if you care more about strength, do that first; if you care more about cardio, do that first. If you care about both, then you can switch the order every workout.

Seems reasonable enough, but I'm not convinced that's a good answer. Some of the choices you've made are worth examining a bit. For starters, why do the strength and conditioning work in the same workout? Why not separate by at least a few hours, so you can make the most of both? How often *can* you work out?

The next question migth be more important ... why'd you choose aerobic cardio? Are you aware aerobic cardio workouts don't translate to endurance on the mat as well as HIIT style cardio? Are you aware that if you are going to do both strength and cardio in one workout, aerobic style cardio is probably the worst match for strength, whereas HIIT and strength work can complement each other nicely? Given that, would you reconsider the emphasis on aerobic-only cardio?

I need to know the answers to those questions to make a decent recommendation, but I'm going to assume you can workout 3 times per week, and are willing to do HIIT instead of aerobic cardio, which you'll be way better off with anyway. In that case, something like this might work:

Monday: Strength/power workout, Tabata or other short HIIT finisher

Wednesday: Hard HIIT workout, supplemental strength finisher (e.g., grip or core)

Friday: Strength/power workout, tabata or other short HIIT finisher

On Monday and Friday, you do your strength & power workout. At the end, you do a HIIT cardio finisher -- this should be short and extremely intense. A tabata protocol or something similar will work really well.

On Wednesday, you double-down on cardio, doing workouts like Work Capacity 101 or challenging cardio workout of your choice, and when that's done, you do a little supplement strength work as a finisher -- good time to do some extra grip strength work.

Something like that, assuming you work hard and choose good exercises, will supplement your performance on that mat a whole lot more than three strength + aerobics per week will.

[JuijitsuMan]

Awesome response

Filero

Wha an awesome reponse.

A few things. First I mentioned weight/ Aerobics 10 min apart because I don't have the time to get to the gym 2x day , nor do I have the time to do aerobics and weights on separate days. 3x week is all I have.

Secondly I have acute bipolar disorder. Meaning I suffer from an illness. This illness is best helped by aerobic work (oxygen to the brain) rather than sprints. I used to do sprints and found it gave me more realistic performance but affected my mind negatively (tuned out, hard to concentrate, anxious).

The next reason is blood pressure. I am on certain drugs for this illness that raise my blood pressure. Performing weights by itself increases it too high and I feel like crap afterwards. Performing sprints and weights together does the same thing. Aerobics lowers my blood pressure so its a necessity with my strength work to keep my levels balanced.

Also I'm 40 now and not looking to compete anymore.

In fact I'm questioning which MA to take. I have it down to BJJ vs Shootwrestling, both in a non competitive venue.

Thanks for your informative reply.

Jujitsuman

[Filero]

Gotcha. I understand you have some contraints you need to work with. I don't understand the implications of your conditions though, so I'll just fall back to saying that you should do the most important part of the program first, and if they're equally important, consider alternating. I'd also point out that to whatever extent HIIT is bad, BJJ training and sparring is pretty damn anaerobic, and usually you'll spar at the end of each class even if you're not competing.

Also I'm 40 now and not looking to compete anymore.

Hey, me too, but I still train like I do. Frankly, I think hard exercise is the fountain of youth, or closest thing to it. It's not just affected me physically, but affected me enormously mentally and spiritually (*joins hands for a round of kumbaya*). I definitely understand your medical limitations, but I think it's a huge benefit for us old guy to work out as hard as we can provided it's within our medical limitations. Just some encouragement to go as hard as is safe for you!

[JuijitsuMan]

Anaerobics screws up my mind for some reason if its done on a treadmill . if its done in BJJ class it doesn't screw me up.

I think its because when I'm on a threadmill I have to:

A) balance myself at high speeds
B) Constantly watch the timer to see when to change the speed intervals (eg every 1 -2 min)
C) Gives my mind no rest during the workout (It's always calculating, shall he go off balance and fall, shall he change the intervals, is he keeping track of the time) etc etc
D) Non stop motion on treadmill, not varied

In BJJ you have none of that. Its not as mentally exhausting when I'm sparring, its physically exhausting yes, but not as mentally.

I think oxygenated blood is the key for mental health. This is why bipolar doctors recommend walking more than anything else. Nonetheless I will take your suggestions into play, and hope they can help me out. thanks

Juijitsuman

[Filero]

You know, if I had to choose between the treadmill and a sharp stick in the eye, I'd have to think about it If BJJ anaerobic exercise is okay for you, how about other forms of HIIT that are a bit more fun and dynamic, like BJJ. Examples:

Ross's Magic 50 -- 5 rounds of
5 dumbell snatches each arm
5 dumbell swings each arm
10 burpees
1 minute rest

Ross's Work Capacity 101 -- 10 rounds of
5 pullulpls
10 medicine ball slams
15 burpees
20 jumping jacks
all of the above in 75 seconds, rest 45 seconds

A variation on Ross's minute drills -- do four rounds:
30 seconds of burpees
30 seconds of pushups
30 seconds of mountain climbers
30 seconds of burpees
30 seconds of bodyweight squats
30 seconds of jumping jacks
Rest 1 minute


These are HIIT style routines but not on the treadmill. For timing, pick up one of these: Gymboss Interval Timer: perfect for workouts : improves your body for life Fantastic and inexpensive interval timer.

Anyway, HIIT may still not be the right thing for you, but if the above interests you, I'd strongly suggest picking up Ross Enamait's Full Throttle Conditioning for ideas.

[JuijitsuMan]

Filero,

Awesome post, with great ideas to check out. I will explore and decide. thanks a million.

Juijitsuman