Tournament preparation advice...

[Funkoar]

Hello fellow grapplers of f12,

I am looking enter a few BJJ tournaments this year, the first being in early March.

I want to be fully prepared and put in effort. I know I can be in better condition, I just need pointers on how I can achieve them. I will number the things I need help with and want more information.

ps. I apologize, I know this has been done a lot, but I really couldn't find much on the topics, so I am asking for your help, f12.



1. Weight.
I currently weigh 114 pounds, my weight class is at 121 pounds. I want to mainly gain this in muscle and become stronger, but I unfortunately can't afford a gym membership right now and my academy doesn't have any weights of any sort. Are there any exercises I can do at home or physical activities to try and gain some muscle/strength? I need to gain strength all around, arms, legs, core, etc. I have a dumbbell set, if this helps.

2. Cardio.
I need to work on this quite a bit. I roll 3-4 times a week, doing around 8-10 six-minute rounds. I still feel tired after about 5 rounds. Is there anyway I can improve this? Running every morning? Swimming? Again, I can't get to a gym, unfortunately. Could this also be a dieting thing?

3. Flexibility.
I have decent flexibility, but really want to take it to the next level. I have tried to watch a few yoga instructionals, but can't really work out which would improve the most for my BJJ game. I really want to achieve being able to move very fluid in my knees and hips.

Kind of like Eddie in this video, but I feel he doesn't detail the stretches very well.


4. Supplements.
I have no idea what I should/shouldn't be taking. I need all the help I can with this one. I have only been recommended to use Optimum Nutrition.



I know some of these should be in different forums, but I felt that other grapplers may help me better because it is all to do with grappling and preparing for a tournament.

I really appreciate any help I can get.

Any further questions, just ask.

Thanks guys.

 

[RhinoUP]

If you want to gain weight...rules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are to eat A LOT of food.

 

[Funkoar]

If you want to gain weight...rules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are to eat A LOT of food.

Won't this result in more weight but no strength?

 

[kimble09]

if you don't have a gym, look for a park nearby. find a bar that you can use for pull ups, i believe that's one of the most underrated exercises for strength. find something heavy to hold while you do squats. do some push ups. also try eating more for the weight gain...if you're exercising, the weight should come on in the right areas.

as for cardio, sparring more will help...also, learning to breath more efficiently when tired.

hope this helps...good luck.

 

[Human Bass]

Won't this result in more weight but no strength?

Well, you must tell your body you want the food to be converted in muscles, not fat. You do that by working them out.

 

[Human Bass]

BTW, 114 pounds, are you a girl or a really small dude?

 

[Funkoar]

if you don't have a gym, look for a park nearby. find a bar that you can use for pull ups, i believe that's one of the most underrated exercises for strength. find something heavy to hold while you do squats. do some push ups. also try eating more for the weight gain...if you're exercising, the weight should come on in the right areas.

as for cardio, sparring more will help...also, learning to breath more efficiently when tired.

hope this helps...good luck.

Thanks mate, there is a local football field nearby, I will search for a bar to use. Kind of old school style haha.

Well, you must tell your body you want the food to be converted in muscles, not fat. You do that by working them out.

Oh ok, awesome. I literally know nothing about nutrition. Any little bit helps, thanks dude.

BTW, 114 pounds, are you a girl or a really small dude?

I am just a small guy, haha. I have never really tried to gain muscle seriously, but I am hoping to fill out my frame a little and put the pounds on.

 

[RhinoUP]

The best exercises to put on weight and strengthen your body are squats and deadlifts. Without weights, I guess you can do massive amounts of pullups and bodyweight squats, or find something heavy to hold while you do them.

You have to eat though. If I were you I'd be consuming 200 grams of protein per day. Most of it from food.

 

[Funkoar]

The best exercises to put on weight and strengthen your body are squats and deadlifts. Without weights, I guess you can do massive amounts of pullups and bodyweight squats, or find something heavy to hold while you do them.

You have to eat though. If I were you I'd be consuming 200 grams of protein per day. Most of it from food.

I definitely have to compensate for the gym thing, thanks for the ideas.

I eat a lot of fish and mince. I know fish has decent protein, but does mince?

 

[RhinoUP]

I don't know what mince is. What is it?

 

[RJ Green]

Won't this result in more weight but no strength?

eat big to get big. pump iron and get yourself a belly. i'm walking around 30lbs heavier than normal right now, but my dead lift went up 75lbs. eat until you hate yourself, get some mass, then reduce your calories and sprint some hills.

if you can't find a gym, do burpees, pushups, pullups, and find something heavy and awkward to deadlift.

nutrition isn't rocket surgery - if it comes in a cardboard box, it's probably not that good for you. another rule i have during cutting is the 'desert island' rule - if i couldn't find/grow it on a desert island or cook it over a campfire, i shouldn't eat it. meat is your friend. eat things that eat vegetables, and then eat more fruits and vegetables. and nuts. chocolate milk is nature's protein shake.

as for your cardio, the best cardio for grappling is more grappling. don't bother going on 5-mile jogs unless you're training for a 5-mile jog. swimming is decent too, but again, being able to swim for an hour and being able to grapple for an hour are entirely different things.

flexibility comes from strength. you don't need to put your leg behind your head to be a good grappler. a lot of people think being some yogi will give them a better guard. having a good guard will give you a good guard. work your sweeps and passes. mount is my favorite guard

supplements are bullshit. complete bullshit. unless you're gonna do a few roid cycles, you need to supplement yourself with good food and hard work. the shit you buy off the shelf is snake oil/marketing with minor gains at best. people go to GNC looking for magic, and they get it every time. the shit 'elite athletes' peddle? they get paid to do that. remember xyience? hydroxycut? exactly. like Joe Rogan said - if big dick pills worked, EVERYBODY would be taking big dick pills. same thing here.

get adequate sleep too. people overtrain. a lot. you need to recover.

really dude, the best advice isn't anything you don't already know - work hard. bust your ass. everything else is just fluff.

 

[RhinoUP]

eat big to get big. pump iron and get yourself a belly. i'm walking around 30lbs heavier than normal right now, but my dead lift went up 75lbs. eat until you hate yourself, get some mass, then reduce your calories and sprint some hills.

if you can't find a gym, do burpees, pushups, pullups, and find something heavy and awkward to deadlift.

nutrition isn't rocket surgery - if it comes in a cardboard box, it's probably not that good for you. another rule i have during cutting is the 'desert island' rule - if i couldn't find/grow it on a desert island or cook it over a campfire, i shouldn't eat it. meat is your friend. eat things that eat vegetables, and then eat more fruits and vegetables. and nuts. chocolate milk is nature's protein shake.

as for your cardio, the best cardio for grappling is more grappling. don't bother going on 5-mile jogs unless you're training for a 5-mile jog. swimming is decent too, but again, being able to swim for an hour and being able to grapple for an hour are entirely different things.

flexibility comes from strength. you don't need to put your leg behind your head to be a good grappler. a lot of people think being some yogi will give them a better guard. having a good guard will give you a good guard. work your sweeps and passes. mount is my favorite guard

supplements are bullshit. complete bullshit. unless you're gonna do a few roid cycles, you need to supplement yourself with good food and hard work. the shit you buy off the shelf is snake oil/marketing with minor gains at best. people go to GNC looking for magic, and they get it every time. the shit 'elite athletes' peddle? they get paid to do that. remember xyience? hydroxycut? exactly. like Joe Rogan said - if big dick pills worked, EVERYBODY would be taking big dick pills. same thing here.

get adequate sleep too. people overtrain. a lot. you need to recover.

really dude, the best advice isn't anything you don't already know - work hard. bust your ass. everything else is just fluff.

You said it better than I did.

 

[goatfury]

Here's a good article one of the guys who competes regularly at US Grappling (and other) events wrote:

(Almost) Everything You Need to Know Before Your First Competition

 

[Funkoar]

eat big to get big. pump iron and get yourself a belly. i'm walking around 30lbs heavier than normal right now, but my dead lift went up 75lbs. eat until you hate yourself, get some mass, then reduce your calories and sprint some hills.

if you can't find a gym, do burpees, pushups, pullups, and find something heavy and awkward to deadlift.

nutrition isn't rocket surgery - if it comes in a cardboard box, it's probably not that good for you. another rule i have during cutting is the 'desert island' rule - if i couldn't find/grow it on a desert island or cook it over a campfire, i shouldn't eat it. meat is your friend. eat things that eat vegetables, and then eat more fruits and vegetables. and nuts. chocolate milk is nature's protein shake.

as for your cardio, the best cardio for grappling is more grappling. don't bother going on 5-mile jogs unless you're training for a 5-mile jog. swimming is decent too, but again, being able to swim for an hour and being able to grapple for an hour are entirely different things.

flexibility comes from strength. you don't need to put your leg behind your head to be a good grappler. a lot of people think being some yogi will give them a better guard. having a good guard will give you a good guard. work your sweeps and passes. mount is my favorite guard

supplements are bullshit. complete bullshit. unless you're gonna do a few roid cycles, you need to supplement yourself with good food and hard work. the shit you buy off the shelf is snake oil/marketing with minor gains at best. people go to GNC looking for magic, and they get it every time. the shit 'elite athletes' peddle? they get paid to do that. remember xyience? hydroxycut? exactly. like Joe Rogan said - if big dick pills worked, EVERYBODY would be taking big dick pills. same thing here.

get adequate sleep too. people overtrain. a lot. you need to recover.

really dude, the best advice isn't anything you don't already know - work hard. bust your ass. everything else is just fluff.

Here's a good article one of the guys who competes regularly at US Grappling (and other) events wrote:

(Almost) Everything You Need to Know Before Your First Competition

Thanks so much guys, huge help!

If anyone has other things to account for, please add them, I am very keen to learn about everything I posted.

 

[TheHereticJay]

Bodyweight exercises are great, I'm a big supporter because I hate "lifting heavy shit", but you won't necessarily get bigger that way. Burpees, burpee box jumps, burpees with pushups, one legged burpees, burpees with pull ups, etc... Do you see the common thing there? Burpees are probably the single most important bodyweight exercise imo.

Nutrition... what's been said has been said well before me.

Conditioning... If you want better cardio then roll more. Also condition your grips too. Do your pull ups while holding the lapels of a gi. In comps your grips are the first to go.

Lastly... When you go into a comp, don't go in with just a "I'm gonna win." view. Go in with a "I'm gonna win by armbarring his right arm from side control." view. Know your game going in. It's like a brown belt told me yesterday "BJJ is a game of sequences. If I let you start your sequence before I start mine, then I'm on the defensive and can't execute my sequence. Execute your sequence first."