The unfortunate truth is that as you age you need to work harder to stay mobile and pain-free.
I’ve found that I can’t skip warmups, I can’t neglect mobility work, and I definitely can’t get away with what I did when I was younger.
But it’s hard to stay disciplined with all of the effort that goes into remaining injury-free in a combat sport past age 35.
That’s why I cut out the excess fluff and only focus on the moves and methods that deliver multiple qualities that I need for BJJ resilience.
But the key to sustained durability is consistency.
You need to find moves that are relatively easy to perform, can be done anywhere, and moves that you will do continually.
Moves that also mobilize, strengthen, and fortify your muscles, joints, and tissues in the process.
Here are three exercises that accomplish all of the above, and at the bare minimum, what you should do every day for BJJ resilience.
The Founder
The Founder has become a daily must for me, and completely changed how my lower back feels and functions.
It’s the staple exercise of Foundation Training, and taught to me by the program director, Jessie Salas. Jessie has also worked with BJJ greats like the Ruotolo brothers and Rickson Gracie.
This move improves hip and spine mobility, while strengthening the lower back, core, and legs.
Many of us grapplers become forward rounded from guard play and passing, but the Founder improves your posterior chain strength and endurance.
This move also improves your posture and balances the length-tension relationships between your front and back sides.
It also creates space for nerves to glide and move freely, while decompressing your hips, ribcage, and spine.
Just a few minutes of the Founder each day is enough to keep you moving well and pain-free.
BONUS: Add Windmill Rotations (video above) to your Founder for added hip and pelvis mobility.
Shield Cast
I remember the great strength coach, Dan John, saying at a seminar years ago that “thoracic mobility comes and goes with the wind.”
I never related to that statement more than I do now at almost 40.
The mobility of your upper spine is influenced by a wide range of things from how you breathe to your emotions to how you sit throughout the day.
Thoracic mobility also has an effect on how your shoulder and neck moves, making it even more critical for optimal movement.
The Shield Cast mobilizes all of the important upper body structures, including your t-spine, ribcage, and shoulders.
It also strengthens the muscles supporting these structures, making it worth doing every day.
Plus, it’s fun and feels good.
BONUS: Add the Mill, which is combination of an outside circle and a shield cast, for the ultimate total body rotational mobility move.
Shin Box
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The Shin Box has so many uses for the grappler, but the main benefit is hip mobility, specifically hip internal rotation.
Lack of hip IR is a major problem for so many people, myself included, that this one should be done daily.
Full access to hip rotation means a safer lower back, more resilient knees, and less pain overall.
There are so many great variations that can be done with the Shin Box, like rotations and hip snaps, but even just sitting in the position with a straight spine will help.
You can also use the Shin Box to assess each hip’s mobility, or use it as sport specific warmup drill coming up for sweeps and transitions.
BONUS: Load the Shin Box for even deeper hip mobility.
Ultimately, you’ll have to do more than these three moves for your best chances of staying injury-free for the long term.
However, these high-impact moves are enough, when done daily, to keep you moving well and staying resilient.
The Founder is your answer for lower back endurance, better overall posture, and spine and hip decompression. In fact, it’s a total body move that will do wonders for your longevity.
The Shield Cast targets your upper body, making your shoulders, t-spine, ribs, and neck move better and stronger.
The Shin Box is your lower body go-to, improving hip mobility while adding to lower back, knee, and spine resilience.
Try a few reps of each every morning to get the day started, or add them before your training session.
When you do them doesn’t matter as much as just getting them done…every day.
