Can you improve it specifically for bjj? Following one of my last post “Should you really improve your cardio for BJJ?’’, here are some options on how to up your cardio game when needed with one very effective training method, High intensity Interval training. (more…)
Shitty rolls, drills that don’t make sense anymore, classes that could have gone better, lifting sessions that were less than optimal, or just general fatigue! We all encounter this once in a while. However, once in a while is too often unfortunately.
In almost any type of sports and everything you have to do to improve performance, there is the law of diminishing return, which states that as an investment in one goal increases, but other variables stay the same, the return on investment will eventually decline.
The first two years you start training, you see progress, you lose weight, you get better all around. Ultimately though, you reach a point where your body doesn’t respond as quickly or at all. You get comfortable and use your best techniques. Most people make the most substantial gains during their first year of training. Inevitably, the gains slow as you reach a point your body has adapted to the stress you’ve placed on it, you use less energy, you start feeling like you can’t progress, enter the dreaded plateau. When you reach the dreaded plateau phase, it’s very tempting to increase the volume and just do more, invest more time in training.
The law of diminishing returns says otherwise, it may not be an effective strategy. Increasing training volume is in fact, how to apply the principle of progressive overload, but one that needs support and proper planning.
All around performance is multifactorial. Performance is a matter of habits, nutrition, strength training, periodization and planning. If one of these elements is not included, short or long term, something is bound to happen. Lady luck has nothing to do with it.
That something might be overtraining. I actually don’t believe in overtraining, I call it stupid planning. The problem with over training is that it doesn’t happen over night. You only realize it once it is well settled in and a few days rest won’t do shit all.
The hallmark of exercising too hard for too long is ”an unexpected drop in performance that is NOT reversed by brief rest periods,” explained Dr. Jack Raglin, a kinesiologist at Indiana University.
Very often, when I get to consult with new athletes, they want to include strength and conditioning 4 times a week while training BJJ 4-6 times a week. The main problem while I dig into the lifestyle, is that the audio doesn’t add up with the play book. The ultimate goal is to have some kind of balance.
First, nutrition has to be a pillar for it all. Second, your habits dictates how long and far you will go. For example, if you aren’t maximizing sleep, eventually, you will crash and burn.
Instead of trying to do as much as you can and see how long you can hold, why not try to find how little you can do and build from there? Doesn’t it make sense? Failure to plan is planning to fail.
Experts recommend periodization, a regimen that builds in recovery time and is intended to prevent the symptoms of overtraining. Athletes are advised to alternate two-week cycles of hard and easier workouts, while gradually increasing the training volume until it peaks a few weeks before a major competition. Then the athlete tapers off, reducing the training to allow the muscles to recover from the stress. When done perfectly, you’ll be able to keep rolling and training.
You want to add strength training to your BJJ practice? You want to keep rolling 4-5 times a week? Start with the minimum and build your way up, instead of trying to do too much and be forced to take a break after a few months. Train smarter, not more.
It is very common to believe and follow the dogma that the more you do, the better you become. Textbook is the key, when all the conditions meet. The goal is to get near textbook perfect.
Coach Eric
The body is a well-oiled machine. Like any machine, it has some built in warning signs but most choose to ignore them. Failing to recognize some of these little ‘’issues’’ can become bigger problems in the long run, but can also subside after a while, depending on your lifestyle obviously.
Without being to alarmist, here is the top 3 of some of the early signs that you might have to double-check some unhealthy habits or other issues. (more…)
Le corps est une machine bien huilée. Comme toute machine, il existe des avertissements intégrés, mais la plupart choisissent de les ignorer. Ne pas reconnaître certains de ces petits symptômes peut devenir un problème plus important à long terme, mais pourraient s’apaiser après un certain temps, en fonction de votre style de vie. (more…)
«Vous n’avez pas besoin de vous entraîner beaucoup pour les sports de combats ou le grappling»
«Gagner ou s’entraîner pour la force nuira à votre flexibilité»
«La flexion des genoux à plus de 90 degrés (squat en dessous du parallèle) est mauvais pour les genoux»
Faux! Peut-être que ce sont les raisons pour lesquelles les genoux sont les plus blessés dans la majorité des sports. Le manque de bonnes informations logiques et l’abondance d’informations sur Internet sont complètement hallucinants.
Au lieu d’essayer d’étirer un muscle qui est déjà trop serré, essayez de comprendre pourquoi il est hyper stimulé ou tendu en premier lieu. Je ne le vois pas beaucoup comme un muscle tendu, je le vois plutôt comme un muscle surmené, un type de compensation. C’est là qu’un bon entraîneur ou un ostéopathe peut vous guider sur la bonne voie.
Lorsque vous vous élancez pour une attaque, vos hanches et vos articulations du genou sont souvent prises dans des positions étranges, selon l’endroit où votre adversaire se dirige et où vous voulez les faire tomber. Mieux encore, vous pensez que seule la flexibilité vous permettra de réussir un Triangle sur un plus grand et gros adversaire? Des genoux forts et en santé le feront.
La plupart des genoux et des dos blessés ont deux choses en communes: une différence de force unilateral et une faiblesse dans la chaîne musculaire. Lorsque vous vous entraînez pour faire du sport, s’entraîner comme un culturiste présente certains avantages, mais si c’est tout ce que vous faites, vous manquez le point. Le corps bouge dans son ensemble.
Le genou a besoin d’un équilibre structurel. Il commence par le pied et la cheville, tous les petits muscles complexes sont là pour signaler au système nerveux quoi et comment déclencher la chaîne postérieure, les hanches, le ‘’core’’.
Comme dans une chaîne de commandement, les généraux donnent à tous les soldats des forces spéciales les tâches à effectuer pour se préparer à la guerre, mais que se passe-t-il si l’une des équipes ne peut pas accomplir ses tâches? Une grosse bourde quelque part ou quelqu’un doit faire le travail pour eux.
Lorsque le pied et les yeux déclenchent une réaction, réagissant de l’action des adversaires, le corps s’allume. Regardons un Ippon Seio Nage. Une fois les poignées établies, Tori tire Uke, contrant une grande résistance, le bas et le haut du dos, les bras, les ischio-jambiers et les quads travaillant dur pour pour chacun des combattants. Une fois le lancer en action le core et les jambes font le travail. Lorsque vous ajoutez la descente sur les genoux, de genoux en bonne santé feront la différence entre un ‘’Snap’’ et la victoire.
En JiuJitsu Brésilien, nous voyons la plupart des blessures entre les transitions. Dans la garde du papillon, le genou sera complètement plié en défense ou lorsque vous tenterez de balayer un adversaire plus gros. Des genoux bons et forts feront une grande différence.
Dans différents sports, comme le patinage artistique. L’atterrissage après un triple Axle met 3 à 5 fois le poids du corps sur la jambe d’atterrissage.
Dans le football, courir, sprinter et charger est l’aspect le plus important du sport. Le plus gros problème est le danger de forces externes appliquées sur la partie inférieure du corps, où certaines des conséquences peuvent malheureusement mener à une fin de carrière.
En général, vous verrez des VMOs faibles (partie interne du genou) où vous verrez le genou entrer vers l’intérieur lorsque vous effectuez un squat par exemple. Il pourrait aussi provenir d’un moyen fessier faible. Mais cela ne s’arrête pas là, nous voyons souvent une différence de force dans les muscles ischio-jambiers, le muscle antagoniste du quad, qui est souvent nécessaire pour contrer les lancers, les clés de jambes et de chevilles. Si vos ischio-jambiers ne s’activent pas au besoin, dites adieu à vos genoux!
Donc, gagner en force est une évidence. Des genoux forts et en bonne santé vous permettront de profiter de vos sports préférés.
Le dernier point, mais non pas le moins important, est la nutrition. Je l’ai souvent dit, la nutrition est le fondement d’une bonne santé, y compris les tendons et les ligaments. Si vous nourrissez bien le corps, la réponse sera évidente. J’ai souvent rencontré des gens dont je ne pouvais que changer leurs habitudes alimentaires. Rapidement, les inflammations ont disparu, ainsi que la rigidité musculaire. Plus de douleur au dos, moins de raideur articulaire pendant que l’énergie elle, augmente. En alimentant bien la mitochondrie, vous lui donnez l’énergie nécessaire pour récupérer et réparer le tissu endommagé si nécessaire.
Prenez les vitamines C et E, par exemple, le principal avantage de ces nutriments réside dans leur rôle dans la production de collagène, une protéine utilisée dans la peau, les tendons, les ligaments et d’autres structures flexibles du corps. La vitamine C est également un puissant anti-inflammatoire.
De plus, si vous mangez constamment des aliments transformés (aliments acides), cela peut priver votre corps de minéraux très importants tels que le calcium. Si vous en souffrez, une carence en calcium peut entraîner de graves problèmes de santé tels que hypertension, fatigue, problèmes de sommeil, tension nerveuse, dépôts de calcium dans les artères et les articulations, calculs rénaux ou calculs biliaires, sensibilité aux fractures osseuses, ostéoporose, crampes musculaires, sentiments de fourmis dans les jambes, etc.
Un ingrédient très commun trouvé dans la plupart des aliments transformés et/ou en boîte dans les supermarchés est le sirops de maïs à haute teneur en fructose. Il vole votre corps de chrome, de magnésium et de zinc. La carence en ces éléments peut entraîner une altération de la fonction immunitaire, une perte de cheveux, une diminution du taux de sucre dans le sang, une augmentation des triglycérides, des ballonnements, de la diarrhée, etc.
Il n’y a pas que le simple renforcement des genoux et du bas du dos ou des étirements, l’équilibre structurel et la nutrition est la clé. L’évaluation de vos besoins est primordiale; n’hésitez pas à nous contacter pour plus d’informations. Nous sommes l’équipe qui vous rendra plus performant.
Coach Eric
« You don’t need to train your legs a lot for mma or grappling sports »
« gaining or training for strength will impair your flexibility »
« Flexing your knees more than 90 degrees (squat below parallel) is bad for your knees »
Wrong! Maybe those are the reasons why knees are the most injured in any given sports. The lack of good, logical information and the abundance of bullshit training available on the net is mind-boggling. (more…)
It’s nice to know what to do; we get those articles all the time. I often caught my clients doing things that I completely forgot to tell them about. We tell them everything they should do with all the good intentions in the world but the simplest things can hold them back. One thing leads to another and they could be back to square one. Failing to recognize what triggers bad habits is something should at least try to point out, once they see and understand why they fall into those traps and what it does to them, can help eliminate some bad habits, it’s as simple as that. It can take time, but at least, being aware of it can prevent ‘’injuries’’.
Let go of techno bro’
EHS or Electromagnetic Hyper Sensitivity is getting more and more attention. The scientific community (and general population) is looking into it since there is an increasing array of symptoms some people reported such as headache and fatigue that appeared whenever they were close to devices that emit electromagnetic signals, such as Wi-Fi stations, cellphones and computer screens. Removing or insulating themselves from the signals alleviated their symptoms. Then there are extremes like these cases where they have to erase themselves from the general population to feel better in this article from Vice entitled the people who claim they are allergic to Wi-Fi.
It even got the Washington’s post attention. Again, like everything that makes people uncomfortable or scared, or that creates the need to change a habit, denial or skepticism takes over, on the conspiracy theory side.
Although there is still a lot of research to be done, and until the medical community can find a pill and profit from it, it will not be recognized as a condition. I don’t really care about the EMF issues or the Wi-Fi frequencies yet; I’m more into the habits attached to our ever-growing addiction of technology. It’s the best and worst thing that ever happened to our lives.
The best for obvious reasons like fast and free information. The worst, which is fast and free information. As stupid as it sounds, it is something that fucks up everyone’s thinking process in SO MANY WAYS!
There is also the fact that all this technology can mess with our health in a very sneaky way. Before the advent of artificial lighting, the sun was our major source of light. Unfortunately, the blue light[i] from all this technology is messing things up. The late workers and those who browse and surf the net and social media before bed have a better chance of sleep disturbance than those who let it go a few hours before sleep time.
More research needs to be done on all its effects on our health, but logic says that if it has a chance to mess it up for my clients, I keep it in mind and try to adjust the protocols accordingly. Letting go of techno a few hours before going to bed never killed anyone and if I can help improve sleep quality, it will, without a doubt, also help get better and faster results.
Nutrition skepticism
The nutrition world also has their conspiracy theories. Gluten sensitivity is all in your head, Gluten free is only a trend. You can get all the protein you need in broccoli. Meat will give you cancer.
One of the biggest and most controversial is the gluten issue.
Some believe that gluten is evil and others couldn’t care less and will never let go of it.
First things first. If you follow the health and fitness industry’s latest news, you might have stumbled on the news of a farmer’s win over the big agrochemical and agricultural giant Monsanto. Monsanto has been ordered to pay $289 million in damages after a California jury found the company liable in a lawsuit alleging its weed-killer Roundup caused a man’s cancer. How convenient that in June this year, drug maker and chemical company Bayer has finalized a blockbuster deal to buy up Monsanto. Bayer will drop the name ‘’Monsanto’’[ii] as a strategic move geared at distancing the negative publicity surrounding Monsanto and genetically modified organisms.
What does it have to do with gluten? Well Monsanto is the maker of the weed killer Round up which contains Glyphosate[iii]. Along with wheat and oats, glyphosate is used to desiccate a wide range of other crops including lentils, peas, non-GMO soybeans, corn, flax, rye, triticale, buckwheat, millet, canola, sugar beets, and potatoes. Sunflowers may also be treated pre-harvest with glyphosate, according to the National Sunflower Association. So basically, pretty much a major part of the main recommended food group, breads, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles and other grains.
What is Glyphosate?
Glyphosate[iv] is an herbicide. It is applied to the leaves of plants to kill both broadleaf plants and grasses. The sodium salt form of glyphosate is used to regulate plant growth and ripen fruit.
Glyphosate was first registered for use in the U.S. in 1974 (N.B. by the same company (cough cough Monsanto) that produced ‘’agent orange’’[v] that was used in Vietnam). Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides in the United States. Just sayin’…
Now, it has been said that glyphosate has the ability to disrupt the hormonal system. Taken from one of the many research that I came across on Pubmed;’’ We exposed human liver HepG2 cells, a well-known model to study xenobiotic toxicity, to four different formulations and to glyphosate, which is usually tested alone in chronic in vivo regulatory studies. We measured cytotoxicity with three assays (Alamar Blue, MTT, ToxiLight), plus genotoxicity (comet assay), anti-estrogenic (on ERalpha, ERbeta) and anti-androgenic effects (on AR) using gene reporter tests. We also checked androgen to estrogen conversion by aromatase activity and mRNA. All parameters were disrupted at sub-agricultural doses with all formulations within 24h’’[vi]
Yet again, you’ll also find that for every negative press and research about this subject, there will be a counter, another study that says the exact opposite such has this one (Link). Yet again, in the in the lawsuit against Monsanto, it was proven that Monsanto paid and hired researchers to provide false claims and research proving that their product was safe, which we now know is bullshit.
Now people are freaking out since they just figured out that cereals might be at risk, food health watchers have targeted even Tim Horton’s coffees. (I just realized that I am having one at the moment, I’m I going to die?)
My esteemed colleagues and I have been saying those very facts for the last 10-15 years. We have been under fire so many times and called alarmist, extreme, or just plain bullshit believers. Although we truly didn’t care and kept on with our beliefs, and results, people are slowly waking up, let’s give them another ten years and the same goes for gluten symptoms, as they are plenty of them, too much to keep track, until they find a pill to profit from, the medical community will let it pass.
What can you do? It’s so simple. You want to know if you are sensitive to gluten? Stop eating it!!! Give it a good 3 to 4 weeks. If you see the symptoms diminish or disappear, you might have found the main problem of your health concerns. Here are a few links to help you in the process.
Gluten Intolerance Food List: What to Avoid and What to Eat
Stop being so hard on yourself
Changing habits takes time. Once you can realize that, you know it will be a long and arduous process. What you have now, that you didn’t before, are better tools to go on this ride. You now know what and why your body craves certain foods. You can recognize those situations and avoid them. You obviously can’t all the time, but at least, you are making progress. Give yourself a break. The first three to four weeks are the worst since you can’t really see improvements. You can feel them though, strive on that. It’s a good thing.
Before, you might have fell into traps that you would’nt have been able to stop. Now, even if you cave in, you are making better choice. You eat less, even if it’s junk. Insterad of going all out, less will satisfy you. Instead of going for total crap, you take a few pieces of chocolate. Instead of skipping meals, you make sure you eat your minimum of 3 to 4 meals in a day or else you know you’ll crave junk at night, you recognize that. It’s a learning process, especially if it’s your first time. You have to learn to walk before you get to run. NO ONE IS BORN A MASTER!
Coach Eric
[i] https://opto.ca/health-library/blue-light-is-there-risk-of-harm
[ii] https://www.businessinsider.com/monsanto-beyer-merge-drop-monsanto-name-2018-6
[iii] http://non-gmoreport.com/articles/grim-reaper-many-food-crops-sprayed-with-weed-killer-before-harvest/
[iv] http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/glyphogen.html#whati
[v] https://monsanto.com/company/media/statements/agent-orange-background/
[vi] Glyphosate-based herbicides are toxic and endocrine disruptors in human cell lines. Gasnier C, Dumont C, Benachour N, Clair E, Chagnon MC, Séralini GE. Toxicology. 2009 Aug 21;262(3):184-91. doi: 10.1016/j.tox.2009.06.006. Epub 2009 Jun 17. PMID: 19539684
C’est bien de savoir quoi faire; nous obtenons ce type d’article tout le temps. J’ai souvent attrapé mes clients en faisant des choses que j’avais complètement oublié de leur parler. Nous leur disons tout ce qu’ils doivent faire avec toutes les bonnes intentions du monde, mais les choses les plus simples peuvent les retenir. Une chose en amène une autre et ils pourraient revenir à la case départ. Ne pas reconnaître ce qui déclenche les mauvaises habitudes est quelque chose que l’on devrait au moins indiquer, une fois qu’ils voient et comprennent pourquoi ils tombent dans ces pièges et ce qu’ils leur font, ils peuvent aider à éliminer certaines mauvaises habitudes, c’est aussi simple que cela. Cela peut prendre du temps, mais au moins, en être conscient peut prévenir les «blessures». (more…)
En réalité, cela dépend de votre niveau et de vos objectifs. Votre cardio va évidemment s’améliorer. La loi de l’adaptation exige que la réponse à un stimulus diminue à mesure que le stimulus se répète. Donc oui, rouler vous rendra meilleur et au fur et à mesure que vous gagnerez en expérience, cela deviendra plus facile. (more…)
In reality, it depends on your level and goals. Your cardio will obviously get better. The law of adaptation dictates that the response to a stimulus decreases as the stimulus is repeated. So yes, rolling will make you better and as you’ll gain experience, it will get easier. A similar law has to do with what is called Sensory Adaptation or Neural Adaptation, whereas Adaptation is defined in terms of changes in the body’s sense receptors. An example is the eye’s adjustment to the dark, or better yet, when you decide to go try another school and a big ass guy comes at you when it’s time to drill cross side. (more…)
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