Bulletproof For BJJ Podcast
Discussions on improving your BJJ, navigating mat-politics and all aspects of the jiu jitsu lifestyle. Multiple weekly episodes for grapplers of any level. Hosted by JT and Joey - Australian jiu jitsu black belts, strength coaches, and creators of Bulletproof For BJJ App. Based out of Sydney, Australia
Bulletproof For BJJ Podcast
The Truth About Training Mobility For BJJ
Are you achey all the time even though you train jiu jitsu and lift regularly? Maybe you are missing something FUNDAMENTAL. Becoming strong in uncomfortable positions is the name of the game, and we detail how you can actually get there. Spoiler alert: It's not from doing a 5 minute mobility flow every now and then.
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A good martial artist does not become tense, but ready. Essentially, at this point, the fight is over, so you pretty much flow with the goal. Who is worthy to be trusted with the secret to limitless power? I'm ready. What you don't know about flexibility training and how this is going to help your BJJ A lot of people got the wrong idea about flexibility and mobility and we've got to get clear on this.
Speaker 1:We've got to give you some help here, because people are just not doing it right and we need to help you out with this. So it was brought to my attention more recently. Don't get me wrong we all want the magic pill. We all want the one thing that fucking fixes everything. It's not as simple as that. That's okay, because it's not a lot harder, but there is some things that people are not considering when they're doing their flexibility training. So for me specifically, I will generally choose one or two things I'm working on because relevant to flexibility, cause otherwise I find it can kind of get too much. And uh, I mean you, joe, for a little while you were working the front split for a little while there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm still meant to be, but I haven't been, that's okay. I mean we go through like ups and downs with it and there was like was there a bit of backbend training in there?
Speaker 2:Yeah, backbend and front split were like the two main focuses Like an upper body one and a lower body one, um, or is it just suppose it just? I kind of see for me as like, and for saying for you like five or six kind of flexibility milestones I have in mind, and so I'm like, all right, we'll just work on two of those at any one time yeah, I think for me lately it's been um ankle, yeah, and shoulder, oh, because I feel it's not much fun.
Speaker 1:No, ankle sucks, just because you know you walk every day. Whatever you might do, it just seems slow. But this is the thing that had kind of become more clear to me recently is that oftentimes when folks are stretching or doing whatever they're doing, they might just do a bit of a oh yeah, a bit of this 10 seconds, 10 seconds. They're like I just stretched, I'm now flexible, you're like ah, that isn't necessarily going to move the needle in terms of flexibility.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that, um, that should be seen in two different ways, two different categories, and so, for me, the first one is limbering up, and limbering up is something that you do just to reset yourself to your kind of baseline, right. So limbering up, yep, and limbering up is something that you do just to reset yourself to your kind of baseline, right. So limbering up is what you do in your warm-up, limbering up is what you do in the morning, it's your pre-session kind of, and it might just be one set of that, one set of that, and I'm good, yeah. But your flexibility training is where you are pushing the needle and trying to increase your baseline.
Speaker 1:Yes, sir. And look, this is the thing. Surely, if I can just do one set, that's enough. Don't get me wrong. Doing one set, it's okay, but that actually neglects the goodness that comes in the second set. I think this is the thing it's like going to jujitsu once a week. You just get there and you're like I suck at this. No, I'll come back next week and see if it's different.
Speaker 2:You know it's just going to be fun. Yeah, you're just floating at that same kind of level.
Speaker 1:You just keep coming in and you're just fodder, you're getting smashed, and I would say the thing that I struggle with is like kind of tight calves, tight ankles. This is a limiting factor for me. It's the thing I find most uncomfortable and I think that's maybe why I've avoided it just throughout my life. But I've also spent a lot of time tightening up those areas, so I go spend more time unlocking it. When I do do it, which is probably two times a week at the moment not just the limber up, but the actual focused, focused mobility and long hold stuff.
Speaker 1:My squat gets better, my lunges, like it actually has a knock on effect, but it is uncomfortable. In the moment, my second set and my third set are incrementally better, like I can feel myself getting more range, and I think for most people they think that like flexibility training is like oh, I just do one set, feel a bit of a pull there, okay, now I'm limbered up. But they think that like flexibility training is like oh, I just do one set, feel a bit of a pull there. Okay, now I'm limbered up, but they think that that's enough. Yeah, and that's not really. You've got to give it a bit more.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's true. The first like when you're training at the first set always sucks. The first set's always like painful.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And then your second set is just less painful and you're like, whoa, actually I'm, this is, I can feel something here. And then third set's, like even more significant again. Um, yeah, I like I can think of when I, when I will teach people that I'm training with, like we've just done jujitsu. I coached on Monday morning and I'm like guys, um, if you're sticking around, I'm just going to have a little stretch. Uh, I suggest you do the same. If you don't know what to do, just follow me. And so a bunch of guys, you know, they get into the wall, lunge and open up the hip flexors, and you know, then I'll give a little bit more, kind of context about like the intention and whatnot during it.
Speaker 2:But you'll see dudes who are like, oh yeah, I'll give this a go, and they get in and out of it and then they leave because they're like oh, that was a bit uncomfortable. And then they're like but I did it, like I ticked the box. Yep, I'm getting the fuck out of here, joe should be happy with that.
Speaker 2:Yeah and so, and yeah, there is. It is kind of that thing right and in a way, um, you sort of like saying to someone like hey, let's do like three sets of deadlifts right now. But you know what I mean? It's a different, because stretching you can just do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:There's not a formalized process necessarily where we're at the gym, get the equipment.
Speaker 1:No, you can do it anywhere, yeah, but for sure, having a degree of structure in terms of progressing. It is important and this is where I think people misunderstand. Similar to your strength training, you do need to progressively overload a stretch, which means either spending more time there or adding some weight or adding some range, like this is part of the thing you're doing in terms of improving your ability to move. And if you don't have any structure around that, like if you haven't actually looked at the clock, like how long am I Cause? When you're in pain, 10 seconds is fucking forever. Am I done? Yet?
Speaker 1:Okay, you know, like the the one Mississippi to Mississippi, like no one's, no one's actually taking the time. So that's why I feel people who don't have some kind of structure are missing out there. They're not improving because they're not actually measuring against anything. At least, when you lift weights, you can be like, oh, that's the bar and that's the weights and I did the reps, whereas I feel with when it comes to flexibility, training, your ability to breathe, relax and work into a position, it's kind of a little bit different, like in terms of, yeah, you could be there for 30 seconds, but if you're just surviving it, you're not getting the gains?
Speaker 2:Absolutely yeah, and I do think that that's probably the misconception, right, is that the 1990s view of stretching was like I'll get into a position, make it hurt and then survive, and it's like, oh wow, that was full on, I'm getting bendy, whereas we now know that that's not the approach. Like you have to kind of own the position and the intensity and you have to be in control of it, much like your strength training right yeah um and so, and that's a really different approach which I feel.
Speaker 2:When you can communicate that to someone like through our mobility foundation program, right, yeah, but people like, holy shit, this stuff is like changing my experience of life, yes, and you're like, yeah, cause you've never done like, you've never done this, you've never taken this approach to flexibility before.
Speaker 1:The structure is surprising, having a method of which you're just gradually exposing yourself to it more and more, even though that seems that makes sense, right? That's super logical. We take this approach to many other things in our life. It's interesting that we don't think about it necessarily about flexibility or mobility training. Wait, they're different. Well, no, not really.
Speaker 2:This is where people get caught up in the semantics. Yeah, I think we should stick with flexibility.
Speaker 1:Same shit, yeah, same shit, and I think people just think of it differently.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, people on the internet will argue over. It's the same shit yeah, it's really some some strength training is more biased towards building muscle, some bias towards muscular endurance it's all strength.
Speaker 1:I had a. I had a funny conversation with a guy uh, nate, young nate, big, big bulky young boy, uh, getting strong. And he was saying oh bro, since I've started powerlifting, my flexibility has increased so much. I'm like, bro, what the fuck was your flexibility like before? If powerlifting is increased like? Powerlifting is not famous for increasing people's flexibility, but I was like you must have been focused. He's like yeah, I never did anything before except for footy. I'm like yeah, all right.
Speaker 2:No worries have been focused if he's like, yeah, I never did anything before except for like footy.
Speaker 1:I'm like, yeah, all right, no worries, heavy back squats will get you into deep flexion. Yeah, you get, you get deep in that range, man, it will help and you can do it. And I think this is the the misunderstanding for many people, which kind of leads me to the next point is that once you hit a certain threshold of tolerance for movement, adding weight is actually going to help you go further. Like it's not flexibility over here, strength training over here. There is like a really nice point where they cross over, depending on your tolerance for the movement. So, and for many people, adding that little bit of load like whether it's holding a plate or a drink bottle or a light kettlebell, whether it's a Jefferson curl, even a squat having that stimulus actually enables you to get deeper ranges than if you're just trying to do it with your body weight.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it sort of switches everything on, doesn't it?
Speaker 1:And it creates a degree of stability which will enable you to get greater range, which is what we're going for. But what I was going to say there is I saw a post by a guy called Hildes Joachim, who's insanely flexible human, also very strong human Good stuff, yeah, total weapon. Check him out. And he was saying that people always say to him oh, what's the stretch I can do every day. I just want to do one stretch every day to get better. And he's like that's not how it works.
Speaker 1:If you have structured training and you are pushing your range in different stretches, you won't be able to do it every day because you'll get sore. If you really are at your end range and you're spending time there and you're trying to improve your range of motion it's like strength training you might be sore for a day or two days thereafter and therefore you feel like, oh, maybe I've gone backwards, did I strain something? But actually that's your tissues just building tolerance to the thing. So when you come back two or three days later, you can go a little bit more, a little bit more, a little bit more. And so you do need a structure of alternating certain movements at certain intensities to actually improve.
Speaker 2:Anyone that's done the stride stance good mornings in our mobility program knows exactly what we're talking about.
Speaker 1:It doesn't look like much from the outside, but the hamstring you're going to feel your hamstrings the days, yeah, even when I do them, I can feel them.
Speaker 1:I mean, I think I was demoing them the other day and, in my head, just trying to keep my form real nice, but I was like I don't feel this, tomorrow For sure You're going to feel it. And uh, this is the other hard thing that oftentimes people like, oh, but isn't it just meant to be relaxing? Isn't flexibility Like I? Just I do it and now, oh, my whole body feels good and everything like that. I would say the limber up is an example of where you do certain movements and then immediately at that time, with the blood flow, body temperature, all that you do, You're like, okay, I'm good now. But that is a different effect to building longer term range of motion.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I would agree with that. I'd also add that, like you can get different things out of stretching and so if relaxation is one of them, you know getting into positions and not going to end range, sure, but going like 85%, 90% and hanging out there for three minutes and having the lighting low and some gentle elevator music.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, like you do in a lot of like yin yoga, sure, you know that is a very relaxing thing, yeah, and that will make you like.
Speaker 2:That form of stretching has shown to be almost equally effective as more hardcore, you know, like weighted, like deep end range stuff, um, but it's the context, isn't it? It's like like I don't have, like I really like that if I get the odd chance to fucking jump in on a session but I'm not interested in doing because I'm like I don't want to. I'm not going to yoga class for 45 minutes, so it's a time commitment. Yeah, I'm like, I got 30 minutes. I want to increase range of motion. I want to do a fucking back bend. I want to be able to do it. I'm wrestling cunts, get it. So I'm hitting four sets hard, you know, sure, and so it's very context dependent, um, and so you know, another thing that coaches will argue about is like static stretching or passive versus, and it. It all fucking works right, like you used a bunch of the shit in Taekwondo, yeah.
Speaker 1:Right, I think one of the biggest advantages I had coming into jujitsu was I had 15 years of stretching and strengthening. Like it wasn't like we just sat in the splits, like my Taekwondo coach used to stand like in that kind of butterfly position. He used to stand on my knees and make me do like adductor lifts, oh wow yeah. It used to force us down in horse stance, like put resistance on us in a stretched position. So when I came to jujitsu I was like I had all this range of motion and it wasn't just like floppy, it was like strong, yeah. And and I think that because, uh, in in kind of more modern day, what's popular on the internet it's not necessarily flexibility, training, mobility is kind of this brand of moving your body has come into popularity because you know you can demonstrate that on Instagram in a reel Instagram in a reel. But honestly, like footage of someone sitting in a split for three minutes maybe not as engaging, unless they're juggling or eating eggs in the shells or fucking whatever, right, but but that's the thing about it. Like I totally agree with you about that idea of not doing a really hard stretch, but something which is going to help downregulate the nervous system. Something which is going to help downregulate the nervous system, allow your body to relax, like switch off muscles which might be overworked, or or encourage blood flow to muscles that maybe aren't getting. It is really great and that that is going to actually get you a long way there. Not everything has to be ultra hard, but part of the reason why I think people maybe they start doing flexibility training and they stop is because they don't see the gains, and it's not a super quick process.
Speaker 1:When I first started training BJJ, I had an unfair advantage because I was a trainer. I went to the gym, I knew what to do, but I didn't actually have a good place to record it. I'd write it down, I'd lose the journal. I'd lose the journal, I'd lose my progress. The fantastic thing about the Bulletproof for BJJ app is not only does it show you what to do, it gives you a unique way to record your progress and stay on track. Now the other thing which is awesome is you can connect with myself and Joey in the app. We've got a great group where you can ask questions and get them answered to help you being guided on your journey in the gym. Go to the App Store or the Play Store. Search Bulletproof for BJJ and download it today to get your 14-day free trial money back guaranteed. You don't like it, we'll refund you. So download the app today and we'll see you in there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think the process is often misunderstood, isn't it? And they don't really have, they don't have guidance, whereas with strength training it's a lot easier to get. It's like oh, five by five, okay, oh heavy, okay, good. Like that's pretty straightforward Do the deadlift five by okay, and then do what like three other exercises, great, done. You know, we don't have to talk much about intention or you know what your experience, just fucking lift it 25 times and you're good. Yes, so in that way, I think strength training is more accessible.
Speaker 2:I was going to say, like this mobility thing that coaches, this thing that we see on social media, is the equivalent of these, like functional warriors who are doing the like, the big rotational, rotational, fucking six step exercise things with the mace, with the club maces and you know, and they're doing all these funk, the shit that Charles Allen Price is ripping to shreds. Sure, you know, and you got all these strength coaches that are like most of this stuff is bullshit. What actually pushes the needle is like deadlifts, squats, lunges, presses, pulls, but it doesn't have that visual appeal. So when you get some like hot chick in a skimpy outfit and she's like don't do boring flexibility work that doesn't do anything. Do this cool fucking movement flow and it's like 17 different exercises in one and you're like that looks cool on you because you're super flexible and strong and you've also got hardly any clothes on and the rig is decent. Yeah, sure, but give that to a 45-year-old fucking plumber.
Speaker 2:He's not fucking with any of that.
Speaker 1:No, Like none of he likes watching the video but he won't do the moves.
Speaker 2:And to that girl, that routine actually does nothing for her. No, it's a limber up. Yes, my limber up looks pretty impressive, your limber up looks pretty impressive. We could sell that, as do this mobility flow. It's fucking jerk off. Yeah, it's the fucking.
Speaker 1:Do four sets of this drill, then do four sets of this drill, and that's what allows you to access that stuff for sure, and I think what I dislike about a lot of that which I see, I've seen that exact ad on instagram, just like don't do flexibility training. It doesn't work. How did that individual get that range of motion and fucking stretching stretching, yeah so. And the fact that you're shilling something else is fucking bullshit. I'm calling you out. Also, show me your fucking middle split and stay there for fucking three minutes. You idiot I.
Speaker 2:The biggest challenge for me is that Well, probably half decent because they do the good shit, I know, but I want to they just don't sell the good shit. I want to see that fucking video.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean? I think that's we are always looking for the quickest, easiest answer.
Speaker 2:This is the primal swalder fitness right.
Speaker 1:Sure, check out this kettlebell flow.
Speaker 2:Kettlebell flow while I'm in a pushup.
Speaker 1:I know you were fucking doing dumbbell curls and military presses and a bunch of training this morning.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and you know, whatever you're gearing up, and now you're selling me this fucking 17-step thing with a kettlebell where you flip it and you catch it on your ass.
Speaker 1:It's like, bro, tell us the truth and, at the end of the day, I think it is accessible. So you're hearing this and you're like I do want to get more flexible. I haven't been able to achieve gains in the past. Fuck, what do I do different? What we're talking about here is having a method, not only to do it consistently, but gradually note your improvement, whether that be oh, I can hold that position now 30 seconds, I don't feel like my arms are breaking off. Or oh, my calves don't feel like they're on fire and I'm touching the ground. Like you, you can actually have this in uh internal register of like, fuck feels easier. I think that is the thing which is less obvious, because you do have to tune in with what the fuck is going on with your body and go am I restricted here? Am I improving and what is the method of moving forward? And I think where we're going with this is you need a structure to be able to do that on a consistent basis to get the gains. I think that's where we're going.
Speaker 2:The fucking program. I actually had a conversation with a middle-aged woman at the gym the other day. Yes, the gym near my house.
Speaker 1:That not not my you know, the jungle brothers big globo gym.
Speaker 2:Yep and um, we were chatting and she she's like, um, she's she's always training with this group of mums cool, and they're, uh, they're all in pretty good shape. She's in great shape and I see the stuff she's still and she's always training with this group of mums cool and they're, uh, they're all in pretty good shape. She's in great shape and I see the stuff she's doing and she moves well. And I was like and she was by herself on this day and I was like what's going on? She's like I'm not not feeling it today we're going to a chat about.
Speaker 2:She was saying how I just I just struggle with a lot of these, like it just hurts my back and range of motion, I can't press overhead and, um, I was like you know what's your training history? And she's like I started here like three years ago and I just started with the bodybuilding stuff that I do now and I'm like you ever done any like flexibility work? She's like no, like what is it? And so I was like go to the app store Bulletproof for BJJ. Don't worry that you don't know what BJJ is. Download it. Take the two week free trial. Just start the mobility foundation program. Ask me any questions? Cancel before the two weeks. If you don't want to get charged, you can just get it all for free for two weeks. And she was like all right, all right, and so I haven't seen her since. Okay, I'm very interested. Louisa is her name. Louisa, I'm coming for you.
Speaker 1:I want to know. I want to know if she cause she's going to be like what the fuck did you get me into? Or she's like, oh my God, this shit is awesome. I think the interesting thing for me just you know, kind of put this parcel, this up, people get so surprised at how effective it is. People are always like that's stretching shit. It fucking works. I can like touch my toes and shit. Imagine my whole life. I I could barely anything. And now look at me. You're like, yeah, bro, like it's it does, and that that is the thing. It's not as complicated as it sounds, but your ability to stick at it is is a bit of a a bottleneck for a lot of people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you just yeah, if you can follow the plan.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so, joey speaking on that, let's go there. But before we go there, just quickly shout out we have some beautiful Bushmen underscore kombucha in our hands. If you check them out on Instagram, friend of ours, they're making this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this is from Sylvia, who is a jiu-jitsu perp about trains at Alliance Sydney, which is in the Northern Beaches. Shout out to Fab and the crew over there, but I've trained with Sylvia quite a few times when visiting there.
Speaker 1:You've probably trained with her as well. I have trained with her.
Speaker 2:She was in the gym this morning with Queen Ray Ray Yep Doing some one-on-one training and she gifted us these booch Beautiful, which is all Australian ingredients. It's unpasteurized. It's naturally fermented.
Speaker 1:Each batch bachelorean flavors is a living unpasteurized drink. Some real own personality, real stuff, fucking cool, delicious personality. Check them out, shout out. But, joe, tell us this is where we've got to go, because this is, this is the realness. Right here, folks, joe is getting in to uh, expand and also re-hit on our mobility foundations so yeah, program, so yeah.
Speaker 2:So Mobility Foundation has been probably one of our most popular programs since we launched our program, like our online thing, but it's remained relatively untouched, and so I have redesigned the approach there and we're going to keep the existing one, because a lot of people love that I do, and it's obviously done great things. So that will always remain. But we're going to be adding, uh, like a version two, which is actually broken into three different sort of skill categories. So category one, like level one, will be for the absolute beginner who really struggles with anything flexibility related. Level two will be for that person's got a bit of experience, um, can get into half decent positions but knows they still have a ways to go. And then level three is going to be for those motherfuckers that want to take it to the black belt level, so that that level three is probably, uh, where you go beyond what you need for jujitsu and it's like, hey, I actually want to get. I want to do the splits to cool. I want to do a full, want to get, I want to do the splits, just do cool shit. I want to do a full pancake chest to floor. I want to do a back bend, because that sort of stuff and a lot of the stuff that we work on. We're not sort of claiming that you have to have that to be an effective grappler Not at all, but it's more like it gives you a trajectory and it gives you something to aim towards.
Speaker 2:But so, for those people that get into it, we're going to have some programming on that, and that programming will be like more sessions per week. It'll be more involved workouts, more skill oriented, yeah, more demanding. We also have a couple of other mini programs that we're bringing, which are going to be based on some key mobility limitations that a lot of grapplers experience. So we've identified like toe touch, yep, right, as in like, or flexion, the ability just to bend forward at the hips, um, so think of your jeffson curl. We're gonna have a specific miniature program for that that you can tack on to whatever programs you're doing. It'll be quite a quite a small routine focusing on that one thing. Um, we're also going to be looking at overhead position extension, yeah, spinal extension. So think of the backbend, um, as well as a few others. So, for you know, if you're on the program, get excited for some new shit. It's probably going to drop. What are we now? We're middle of may. This is probably coming out towards july yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'd say july yeah let's say, mid to late july, um, and if you uh, if you're not on the program, we'll let you know when it's there and you can fucking jump on board to your two-week free trial and give it a run. I think people are going to love it Get flexible folks.
Speaker 1:It is easier than you think, but it also needs a little bit of structure. Yep, there it is. Folks Appreciate y'all you.
