Grappler Going Up In Weight

I have just finished my last Submission Fighting tourny somehow competing at 149.9 lbs. (Thank You JB) I have made the decision to go for broke and bulk myself up to around 180 (I am at about 163 standing weight right now)

I am starting off doing Thib’s 3 ways to get big, but I am considering getting into somthing involving more olympic lifts. I have access to a coach that said he would be able to teach me to snatch correctly and I believe the explosive lifts will also help me more with my sport.

Day 1: (Current Weight 160.5)

5x5 Decline Bench: 190 190 190 190 190
4x8 Incline DB Bench: 60 60 55 45
3x10 Cable Crossover: 40 40 45
5x4 T-Bar Row: 90 115 115 115 115
4x8 Pull-up: 8 8 8 7
4x8 Bent-Over Laterals: 20 15 15 15
3x10 Straight Arm Pull Down: 40 40 40

Today felt good, I have not done a BB style lift in a while.

On the diet side I have been clean, Eating the off season diet featured in Grappers guide to nutrition.

I have done measurements, and have taken picture but I wil not post until there has been progress.

Day 2:

I did 30 minutes of sparring with take downs today, took a nice thumb to the eye, but other then that my hands are improving.

When it comes to diet I was still stayin on strong until I got to work (at a hotel), and I had a couple of egg rolls.

Tomorrow I think I am going to throw down with some heavy deads.

Day 3:

4x5 Deadlift: 250 270 270 270 320x1 370x1
4x6 Military Press: 120 120 120 120
4x8 Barbell Sleeve Shrugs: 85 85 85 85
3x8 DB Military Press: 45 50 50
3x10 1-Armed Side Raise: 20 15 15

The last max on on DL was slow but I got it up. I had a ton of energy today. Had Surge and then my post workout meal was ground turkey, whole wheat pasta and then some tomato sauce.

Day 4:

JiuJitsu practice: 1 hour of practice and 1 hour of open rolling, my 190lb wrestler buddy from Augsburg College came with and destoryed me in take downs.

Day 5:
5x5 Preacher Curls 95 95 95 95 95
4x8 Incline DB Curls 30 30 25 25
3x10 Cable Curls 50 50 50
5x5 Close Grip Bench 135 135 135 135 135
4x8 Decline DB Extensions 30 30 30 30

Good luck with it. You can probably eat a lot of overall calories and gain little to no fat because of the intense MA training, which is about intense as it gets cardiovascular wise. Watch the overall volume of lifting, because the MA takes a lot out of you. But if you can handle it all, more power to you. Out of curiosity, how tall are you?

I am 5’ 7 1/4"

Day 6 & Day 7

Off days up at the cabin for a family reunion. Spent the day eating turkey burgers and salads, playing volleyball, wakeboarding abd tubing, my forearms are killing me.

Day 8

I found out I will be meeting with an olympic lifting coach on saturday. One of his lifters advised me on what lifts I should do today.

5x5 Power Clean: 160 160 165 165 170
5x5 Front Squat: 205 205 205 205 205
5x5 Towel Chin-Ups: 10 10 12.5 12.5 12.5
4x6 Alternating DB Military Press: 50 55 55 55

My shoulders got sunburned this weekend at the cabin and squating like that is like some sort of toture, other then that I felt good today.

Day 9

GODDAM SCHOOL. I had work this morning and my final for my online summer course is taking longer then I thought it was so I am going to have to skip JiuJitsu practice tonight (eh well, it’s just Gi)

I just put through my latest Biotest order and finally caved and bought the Mobility DVD, and the chocolate Surge.

Looks like tomorrow is going to have to be double duty.

Day 10

Work was too busy to jet out and go to an afternon grappling session.

Lift:

5x5 Decline Bench Press 190 190 190 190 190
4x8 Incline DB Bench Press 55 55 55 55
5x5 Preacher Curl 95 95 95 95 95
4x8 Incline DB Curl 30 30 25 20

An OK Workout in a new gym.

Go Twins

Day 11

Day Off

Day 12

Stand-Up/Conditioning Practice, Coach kicked our asses, I’ve never done so many kicks in my life.

Day 13

I met with my new Olympic lifting coach. We worked on general form with the Snatch and then the clean and jerk.

The only thing I had an opportunity to write down was

Clean and Jerk: 3x80kg

It was cool learning all the stuff and I am going to have to start training hard!

Day 14

Went up to the track and tried the entire Magnificant Mobility Work out. I like it already.

Day 15

Magnificent Mobility Warm Up
5x5 Power Cleans 170 170 180 180 185
5x5 Front Squat 215 215 220 220 220
5x5 BB Military Press 110 115 120 120 125

Felt great today. Thank you Spike.

Day 16

Did focus mits for 30 min, then messed around with some kicking drills. I finished it up with sparring with take downs, I am starting to feel more confident on my feet.

I tried chocolate Surge today, AMAZING.

Day 17

Did some Gi Grappling today. I had a really good roll at the end, I was feeling really focused.

3x5 Overhead Squats 45 45 45
3x3 Hang Snatch 65 88 100
4x3 Power Snatch 100 110 120 120
5x1 Power Clean & Jerk 132 143 154 165 176
3x2 Jerk (from rack) 154 143 143
Front Squat 176x3 198x2 220x2 242x1 264x1
4x5 Overhead Press 110 110 110 110

I am dead tired.

Day 18

Work went way too long today and I had to move out of my apt. no time to train.

Day 19

Went in early to practice with my college wrestling buddy and we rolled for a solid hour and a half. I got my ass handed to me on my feet.

Day 20

Longest Lifting session of my life

Overhead Squats with bar for warm-up
Hang Snatch 30x5 40x3 50x2
Squat Snatch 50x1 50x2 50x2
Power Snatch 60x1 60x1
Power Clean/Full Squat/Jerk 50x3 60x2 60x2 70x1 80x1 85x1
Power Clean and Jerk 91.5x1 80x2 80x2
Jerk 60x3 70x3 80x3 80x2 80x2 80x2 80x2
Front Squat 60x3 80x2 100x2 110x1 110x2 110x2
Overhead Squat 40x3 40x3 40x3

I’m barely standing at work right now eating everything in site.

Twoscoops,

It looks like you’ve got a pretty good maximal strength and explosive strength program going there.

But, if I may, I’d like to make a suggestion. To me it doesn’t look like you’ve got any really good strength endurance programs at present.

Now I know that maximal strength is important to combat as is explosive strength. But let’s face it, the routines that you are performing to improve these qualities don’t provide a stimulus even remotely approaching the demands placed on you during combat.

In other words to effectively build maximal strength you need short bursts of maximal intensity interspersed with long periods of rest (2-3 minute rest periods between sets).

However, during combat you often times need to continue for much longer periods of time and with much less rest time between periods of intensity. Basically the type of strength needed for combat (at least if you’re fighting people relatively the same size as you who are also skilled opponents) is strength endurance. Yes maximal strength is important, as well as explosive strength, but without strength endurance you’ll never be able to last long enough to fully utilize those other traits/your skills.

My suggestion to you is to check out Charlie Lysak’s Primal Strength material. His crawl routine is one of the single best routines I have ever seen for developing incredible strength endurance. I’ve literally seen people turn into complete animals from doing this routine.

I know that sounds like a sales pitch, and maybe it should be :), but I am being completely honest with you. If you don’t believe me then try it and see. Or how about the fact that John Brookfield was so impressed with Lysak’s primal strength material that he personally contacted him to train with Brookfield in person. Or how about the fact that Joe Lewis (who does not give endorsements easily) raved about the routine after trying it (the testimonial can be found on the PrimalStrength site).

You can find the routine here:

Right now I believe that all that is available is the “Crawl” routine dvd (which is a routine using traditional weight lifting implements). But Shihan Lysak also has a routine that utilizes partner drills (the Gladiator routine) and one that is similar to a strongman routine (can’t think of the name of that one at the moment).

Hope this helps and really hope you give it a try, you won’t regret it (well at least not once you see the results, :wink:

Good training,

Sentoguy

Day 21

I felt completely did, kind of sick even, just layed around and ate all the food I had.

Day 22

Started feeling better so i ate a Sweet potatoe and threw odwn some Spike and went to lift.

Power Cleans 180x5 180x5 180x5 180x5 180x5
Front Squat 220x5 220x5 220x5 220x5 220x5
Military Press 120x5 120x5 120x5 120x4 100x5

Day 23

Moved into my new place I was supposed to have the day off, but I got called in to bartend, So i was not able to go to practice.

Day 24

Weighed in at 74.75kg. Sorry for switching between kg and lbs, but the gym I train at on Wednesdays and Saturdays only has KG’s.

Overhead Squat 20x5 20x5 20x5
Hang Snatch 30x3 40x3 45x3
Power Snatch 45x3 55x3 55x3 55x3
Power Clean 50x3 60x3 70x3 70x3 70x3
Hang Squat/Clean 50x3 60x3 65x3 70x1 75x1 80x1
Jerk: 60x3 65x2 70x1 75x2 70x2 (No Split) 60x2 70x2

Day 25

Went to an MMA Fight to watch some buddies. One lost and the other one won (keeping his belt) It was awesome.

Day 26

I have work from 7-3 and the I’m volunteering from 3:30-who knows when.
hurray for me.

You’re working pretty hard, keep it up.

Things are looking good, Two Scoops.

Couple of quick questions:

  1. How long have you been taking BJJ classes?

  2. These are strictly submission grappling tournaments that you’re competing in (i.e. no strikes)? How did you do in your first tournament?

Just curious because I’m planning on competing in my first submission grappling tourney in Nov.