Top 5 things you can do off the mat to help improve your training
Dec
This is entirely focused on prolonged participation. We want to train all year round. What we don’t want is inconsistency and train hard for 3 months, then be injured for two and repeat. Consistency is the best route to improve and be involved in the sport for as long as possible. You do not want to be “the hardest worker in the room”. It’s a weird mindset which eventually leads to injury, years out of a sport and feeling :(. Instead, change your brain to “smartest worker in the room”. This doesn’t mean there aren’t times when we train hard, just that we choose when to. If you want my honest opinion, being the smartest worker in the room is a lot harder than being the hardest worker… which sounds weird. If I could train 100% every session, life would be easy, but you can’t – it’s not sustainable.
So how can we allow ourselves to prolong in the sport? For starters, we have to enjoy it, and to enjoy it, it has to slot into our life. This brings us to our first point.
Structure
Now, this is completely person dependent, what some people can do will be completely different to others. I am 26 and don’t have a lot of external responsibilities, so for me, dedicating time to training is easy. However, someone who has children, a family and a demanding job may struggle to allocate numerous sessions a week. That isn’t to say it’s better to bang in as many sessions as you can a week but think of it as how many sessions you can do a week, meaning you can sustain and train all year long. If it’s one, then it’s one.
I have seen it NUMEROUS times where people come, they want to learn. They train 5 times a week and then quit after 5 months. In comparison, someone who has trained twice a week consistently and sustained training for 2 years now who is on top? The perceived hardest worker or twice-a-week super genius person.
That’s not to bash someone training multiple sessions a week, but just make sure it is sustainable, AND you manage the added load and stress…. which brings us to our next point.
Load Stress Management.
This is the most important to help sustain training, avoid injury and stop burning out.
Everything you do in life is a stressor, and this will have effects on how much you can train in a week. Yes, Grappling can be a massive stress reliever! However, it is still a stressor on your body. So, if you have had an absolute stinker at work, sometimes hammering yourself at training might not be the best option. That’s not to say you don’t train, but it might mean how you manage that session may change. By any means, it’s good to have a somewhat structured week to help you plan your session. What this might look like may vary from person to person. I am someone who has trained all my life, so my week-load will be extremely different to someone who might be new to it.
As a coach, I always offer my students ways on how they can plan their week to be sustainable. This requires a lot of detail and training systems, which I won’t go into in this blog as it’s very case-by-case. But if you’re a member of PGS, reading this! I will gladly plan your week if you buy me a coffee in coffilab :).
In this management, we also need to add some sort of resistance training; this is a huge part of being able to sustain your training.
Resistance training.
Resistance training is key for looking after your body. The great thing about resistance training is it’s completely in our control. Grappling sessions, you’re slightly at the whim of your partners as well as your coach. You can manage the intensity, but what you cover is out of your control.
In resistance training, you can pick the movements, load and reps. Again, as it so closely links to load management, what you can do will vary from person to person. For me, I’d say a minimum is looking at two full-body workouts a week roughly 45 minute sessions. An hour and a half of your time in total a week. If you’re extremely busy, this should be something you can add to your week. If not, potentially look at your week and see if there is anything which doesn’t serve you or can be reduced.
These full-body sessions tend to focus on compound movements. I tend to look at Push, Pull, Hinge and Knee movements. This gives you a simple structure to follow and helps you get in and out of the gym quickly. Now, what exercises you do, and load management (reps, weight and sets) probably need help from a professional (PGS members, I can also write this up for you)!
Remember, these sessions have to link well to points 1 and 2, so you need to find out what works for you and what can slot in your life without being so big of a change it requires constant motivation. Motivation dies very quickly.
Nutrition
Eat good food. Speak to a sports nutritionist – get them to write you a plan. My go-to is @primehealthandperformance. Nutrition will help you sustain energy levels, recovery and everything in between. Supplements are there to supplement your diet, not replace it. So if you’re eating absolute dog water for your meals but washing it down with a protein shake and exclaiming “health”, you’re going to slowly realise it doesn’t help sustain training. I’m not a qualified nutritionist, but if you’re wondering why you feel sore, tired and lethargic. I can almost guarantee it’s linked to nutrition or point 5. Sleep.
Sleep
If sleep was a performance-enhancing drug, it would cost thousands. There are many arguments among people about how much sleep you should have; most studies lead to around 7-9 hours being the best amount. I always aim for a minimum of 8. You might not always hit it, but you should have an amount in mind that works for you and is somewhere near these standards.
Not only does this help with recovery and energy levels, but when we are asleep, this is when our brain processes everything we have done in our day. So, it’s also extremely important to retain information. If you have a Judo session and you’re beating yourself up after, don’t worry. When you go to bed, your brain will be processing that session hundreds of times. SLEEP IS WHERE THE LEARNING HAPPENS. So, if we cut out that sleep time, information from sessions will be lost.
It’s important to understand this is coming from someone who doesn’t have kids. I understand this can make things extremely difficult. However, just because you have kids doesn’t mean you give up fully and stick to your phone for 3 hours before bed. Try to make the best out of the situation and come up with a strategy to maximise the sleep you can get. I think sleep is a non-negotiable and shouldn’t slip, although all these points need a good balance and mix. If sleep is lacking, it’ll catch you eventually.
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