The moment you start training grappling, you realize how out of shape you actually are. it doesn’t matter if you can run decathlons, once you get to the ground you’ll be drowning in minutes. There’s hardly any other sport out there that taxes the body as much as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. And that’s just in training. Your first competition is going to be a lesson I intensity by itself. This raises the question, what can people do to get in the best shape for BJJ? The answer is obvious – train specific conditioning. However, fitting that in with grappling training can backfire in a spectacular fashion. That said, there are some BJJ conditioning tools that have been proven to work flawlessly.
The main trouble with BJJ conditioning is burnout. it sie really easy to overdo things, especially if you’re doing multiple sessions a week on top of grappling training. While some of the younger grapplers can get away with it, or even double daily sessions, most are not so lucky. And even then, it is not a method that’s sustainable for longer. The main issue you need to tackle is the burnout issue. This restricts the tools you can use to achieve very considerably.
The secret to BJJ conditioning that works is efficiency. For that, you need experience. Since people training Jiu-Jitsu is looking for grappling experience, you’ll need someone with conditioning experience to guide you. One such person is Martin Rooney, a conditioning coach that knows what he’s talking about. he has a lot of literature out and has worked with some of the biggest names in combat sports. That said, out of all his stuff, the Hurricane training protocol is the one that’s of great use for grapplers.
Coach Martin Rooney
Martin Rooney is one of the rare strength and conditioning coaches out there who truly has education in his background. He holds two bachelor degrees and a masters in health and exercises science. A former bobsledder himself, he knows all about the struggles athletes face in their quest for a larger gas tank.
Rooney’s system, (and gym, and books) is appropriately named Training For Warriors. Today, Training for Warriors is a brand with over 200 affiliates worldwide. He has worked with teh who-is-who fo the MMA and BJJ world. This makes him the premier choice for anyone looking to increase specific BJJ conditioning.
Martin’s books are all on the subject of complete conditioning for combat sports. They feature strength training, mobility work, injury prevention, and conditioning. While all his methods are efficient and applicable, it is the conditioning that stands out. Rooney’s take on getting grapplers in shape is brutal, painful and effective. On the plus side, it’s going to develop some much needed mental steel as well.
Hurricane Training For BJJ Conditioning
The hurricane training is a protocol to get people in the best shape of their life fast. You can do it for a number of weeks, or simply a month or so before the competition. The best way is to follow Rooney’s system outlined in his books. What this methodology essentially is, is high-intensity interval training on steroids. The best thing about it? IT takes next to no time to finish but has all the benefits of a long, grueling conditioning session.
The name Hurricane pretty much sums up what’s going on. Plus, it allows Rooney to introduce more difficult progressions, naming them as Hurricanes of different categories. there are 5 all in all, and if can get to teh fifth, you’re a beast already. Doing the fifth category on a regular basis means you have no need of any extra help with your BJJ conditioning.
The basic outline of Hurricane training is simple. You need a treadmill, and, depending on category, equipment that you can easily find in any gym. What you basically do is jump on teh treadmill, print, and then jump straight off to perform certain exercises. After that, you jump back on, readjust the treadmill settings and go again. Then, you jump off and do a different set of exercises. It goes on for 3 sets before you switch exercises and running criteria.
The way programming works are by time or reps. For the treadmill, things like incline/resistance and speed also come into play. Let’s use a category 2 hurricane to explain everything better.
Hurricane Category 2 Example
The reason why we’re using Hurricane category 2 as an example is that the first category s only done on a treadmill, with no extra exercises.
So fora Hurricane category 2 you would start off with treadmill sprints for 20 seconds. Then you jump off, do 10 reps of abs and 10 reps of pushups and you get back on the treadmill. You repeat this three times before you rest. Interestingly, resting is based on the individual. You only get to rest until your heart rate recovers to a certain number. then you jump back on, add a bit of incline to the treadmill and do it again .the difference this time, though, is that you’ll do two different bodyweight exercises, like burpees and a pike press, for example. # rounds of that, you rest again and you go for a final round.
Category two allow for the use of a medicine ball to make your ab exercises a bit more challenging. Category three has lightweight full body exercises. The fourth category increases weight on the exercises or introduces more difficult bodyweight moves like chin-ups. And category 5 has strongman moves in between grueling high incline 30-second sprints. Give Hurricane training a try and you’ll never have to worry about BJJ conditioning again!
Don’t be afraid to give something new a try when you’re choosing your BJJ conditioning method. Ethan Benda, for example, has one of the best systems out there. “the Diamond Protocol” is a conditioning system for grapplers made by a grappler. Check out this awesome DVD set that requires nothing more than a pair of kettlebells to get you in shape!
