I named my company Order & Progress because I believe life should be a never ending process of self-improvement through discipline.
The fact that it’s also the motto on the Brazilian flag aligned well with a BJJ brand.
A big part of self-improvement is challenging your beliefs and course correcting even if it means abandoning convictions you’ve held for years.
I can firmly say I don’t know everything about building a resilient body for BJJ, but Im committed to lifelong learning and improving my knowledge indefinitely.
With that said, today’s article is a reflection on 5 things I’ve changed my mind on after 15 years on the mat and over 20 years of exploring human fitness and optimization.
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man” – Heraclitus
1. Strength Is King >>> Movement Quality Is King
My first years in the fitness industry were dedicated to studying and building strength.
I was sold the idea that strength solves everything, or at least many common performance issues. It was touted as the quality that all other qualities are built upon.
And I still believe that strength is highly important for human performance and longevity.
But, it’s no longer a quality I chase with the passion I once did.
I now believe that attempting to build strength on a dysfunctional structure is an inevitable path to pain.
When you’re younger and have had less time for gravity and the demands of an active life to have their way on your structure, you can more safely attempt heavy feats of strength. Meaning, you can bounce back from the mishaps that can happen from loading your structure with heavy loads.
As you age, the risk increases to the point that it’s no longer worth it.
I have found ways to build strength without loading my structure that could lead to injury, like Isometrics and better load placement. (Look for an article on this soon.)
But I now prioritize movement first, getting my bones in better positions and freeing my movement in all planes of motion before strength, power, or energy systems training.
2. Conventional Human Movement Patters >>> Unconventional Human Movement Patters
In my early days as a trainer I was also sold the idea that a human’s primary movements are to squat, hinge, push, pull, lunge, and carry. This, however, locks you mainly into the sagittal plane, but life happens in 3D.
Humans are actually meant to move in the transverse or rotational plane, with the primary movements of walking, running, and throwing. I also argue that getting up is a primary movement.
Once I started prioritizing these movements, I began to undo many of the restrictions I had built up from years of conventional movement pattern training.
Rotational training has become the primary focus of my routine, with squatting, pushing, pulling, etc done secondarily, or in a rotational fashion.
3. Joint Mobility >>> Positions of Bones & Joints
Steve Maxwell’s “Encyclopedia of Joint Mobility” was a huge influence on my programming and injury-prevention work as a younger trainer and grappler.
I still use a lot of his methods today, however, my beliefs on mobility training have changed. A lot of joint mobility drills focus on expanding range of motion by challenging a joints end range.
I still find value in these drills, especially for tendon and ligament conditioning, but these methods fail in one major aspect.
They don’t take into account the position of the bones before mobilizing.
For example, if your shoulder is in a poor, rounded position to begin with, due to compression of the ribcage and scapula, then you attempt to expand range with some shoulder CARS or banded distractions, you’re doing nothing for the bad position you’re starting from.
You may gain some range in the joint, but it doesn’t improve the poor position thats being driven by the posterior compression.
In other words, you’re just grinding on joints and causing temporary changes.
A better option is to improve the position of the bones by reducing compression and better aligning your structure through breathing drills.
Once you find the space with these breathing drills, then you can work tissue quality and resilience with the end range conditioning drills.
The most benefits I’ve had from this approach is for the pelvis, rib cage, shoulders, femurs, and spine. I feel less pain, less restricted movement, and just better overall.
4. Metcons, HIIT, Glycolitic Training >>> Alacatic + Aerobic Energy Systems Training
I used to crush myself and my clients with hard circuits, high intensity intervals, and metcons. Who doesn’t like a good sweat and puke sesh?
Although these types of workouts may yield benefits, and feel productive, there are better options with regard to longevity, and specifically for the grappler.
The main energy pathway these workouts use is the glycolytic system, which burns glucose to create energy. The problem is, this is the least efficient of the energy systems and the most costly to the body.
“Cleaner burning” energy systems, like the alactic and aerobic pathways, are more efficient and offer unique longevity benefits, like positive adaptations to the mitochondria.
As grapplers we get plenty of glycolytic work on the mat.
I now use alactic and aerobic training to build strength endurance, power endurance, and my cardiovascular / cardiorespiratory systems off the mat.
5. Training For Performance >>> Training For Resilience
Finally, in my younger years I was concerned with strength, speed, endurance, and looking jacked.
Injury-prevention, longevity, and resilience was an afterthought.
Now, I keep the latter front of mind. A long, mobile and capable life is much more important than any strength numbers, medals, or aesthetics.
The truth is, when you train for resilience, the looks, strength, and muscle are a byproduct.
You just feel much better and gain the peace of mind that you’re adding to your life, as opposed to potentially subtracting from it.
Final Thoughts
I think some of the changes I’ve made would have happened naturally with age, but much of my current training approach is the result of 15 years on the mat, countless injuries, and too much time spent in pain.
Im sure 15 years from now I’ll have new beliefs and new priorities.
But that’s the reward of the journey.
What former training beliefs have you changed your mind on?
WHENEVER YOU’RE READY, THERE ARE 3 WAYS I CAN HELP YOU:
1. Start improving your BJJ durability and performance with the new Foundations of Rotational Strength.
2. Fortify your body for BJJ with this free course on the Grappler’s Get Up.
3. Join the free weekly newsletter here.
