Want to get in decent shape for martial arts club

[MikeyPatriot]

First, I'd like to commend kyleb for the general tone and attitude of this forum.

So, the university in town (Indiana U) is a great resource for townies like me. There's a Brazillian Jiu Jitsu club that runs out of the school's gym/school of health. It's ridiculously cheap (so much that even if it ends up being useless, I'm paying less than I would at a McDojo) and I'm pretty excited about taking my first martial art.

My only problem is that I'm out of shape. I'm not overweight (5'11", 160), but I have zero cardio and I've been really flaky with my gym membership. So, my plan is to take a couple/few weeks (which started yesterday) and get myself into decent shape so I'm not gassing out immediately after being put into a triangle choke.

So. How much and what kind of strength training should I be doing? Should I be running/biking every day? Is 2 or 3 weeks enough time to get me into decent enough shape?

[FollowTheMusic]

Have you watched a class yet? That might help. Or are they not running over the summer?

[Rearden]

Why not focus on getting in shape before even joining the class?

The point of taking a martial arts class should be to learn the martial art not to be gasping for air as the techniques and lessons pass you by. Taking a martial art when youre not seriously interested, or just for the purpose of getting in shape, is in my opinion a big mistake which wastes your time and the rest of the class for folks who are there to learn.

Having no actual information on your current shape I'd guess that 2-3 weeks is not enough. Your strength training question depends a lot on what your level of physical capacity is now... saying you're not overweight is completely different than not being "skinny-fat", etc.

No matter who you are if you're seriously rolling with challenging opposition you ought to get a workout... if you're out of shape though rather than thinking about the position and what your options are you'll be stuck thinking about why you can't breathe.

Your comment about gassing out during a triangle choke makes little sense. If you had the cardio of a marathon runner you'd still "gass out" (more likely eventually pass out or be forced to submit) during a properly executed choke.

With your comment on being flaky in the gym... meh. Give us an idea what your conditioning levels are in terms of lifts, etc. Also... read the FAQ. If you did Rippetoe and some HIIT cardio seriously for some time you'd end up miles ahead of most entry level folks.

[slickpoppa]

It's almost inevitable that you are going to completely gas during your first live sparring session. I was in good running shape before I started BJJ, but during my first sparring session I started to gas after about 8 minutes and felt like I was going to die at the end of 25 minutes. It's especially difficult since when you first start out you will be getting stuck in a lot of dominated positions that make it more difficult to breath. But don't let that scare you, it's a lot of fun.

Anyway, the cardio required for BJJ is much different that the type of cardio required for a lot of other sports. Forget about doing long runs, those have very little relevance to grappling. If you want to build up a little bit of a base with some long, slow runs, that's okay. But your ultimate goal should be high intensity cardio. Sprints are good, but I think the best thing you could be doing are high intensity bodyweight exercises like burpees, jump squats, bear crawls, etc. The key is to mix it up because BJJ involves you whole body, unlike most sports that focus heavily on the legs. It would also be good to start doing to basic BJJ moves like shrimps and bridges. Google those if you don't know what they are.

As far as strength training goes, that is probably less important than cardio. I would say the best exercises you could do are those that hit your core: deadlifts, squats, standing overhead presses, and weighted russian twists. In fact, I think if you did just those exercises plus maybe some pullups you'd have a great base for BJJ.


All that being said, if that class is available to you now, join tomorrow. I don't know how many times I regret not starting BJJ earlier. Don't worry about getting destroyed in your first couple of classes; everyone does.

[MikeyPatriot]

Rearden,

My "gas out during a triangle choke" comment was tongue-in-cheek.

I have a million reasons why I want to take the class. 1) I've wanted to take a martial art for awhile. 2) I'm a big MMA fan. 3) It looks like fun. 4) It will give me regular physical exercise. 5) Meet new people. 6) Would like to feel like I can defend myself if need be.

slick,

You're advice is very helpful.

[kickpushcoast]

www.rosstraining.com

[MikeyPatriot]

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www.rosstraining.com

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Anything in particular I should look at?

[kickpushcoast]

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www.rosstraining.com

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Anything in particular I should look at?

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he has 2 books, never gymless and infinite intensity, i would recommend one of those. his training is geared exactly to what you described yourself as looking for, to be in shape to fight(or learn to fight)

[Wu36]

that rosstraining site is real solid, ive been doing some of the sandbag/jackhammer/jumprope stuff on there for awhile.

you can also check the fitness forum on jiujitsugear.com or search for waterbury's mma conditioning program (i got it in pdf, can't remember where).

[Blarg]

I had one of Ross's books before and it was excellent.

OP, don't worry about not having the ideal kind of exercise to prepare you. Nothing really prepares anyone for anything perfectly anyway. Just start exercising, and do it right away. You should definitely do some cardio, and all cardio helps. You lose top cardio shape in a matter of days, though, so do it every day.

Put some time in working on your flexibility too. Just stretch while watching t.v. or reading a book. When trying to attain physical goals, preventing injury is at least as important as gaining fitness.