I’m signed up for my next tournament and am ready to go! I’ll be competing at the end of June and have felt awesome with my training lately. It feels nice to have all of my limbs and digits fully functioning. My most recent training schedule has felt the most beneficial to my goals and my body. I also already have tournaments lined up for both July and August.
Since I started training martial arts, I’ve tried various schedules with my training. The percentage of time with bodybuilding and conditioning verses the time in jiu jitsu classes has changed. It took a while until I found out what works for me both mentally and physically. It has also changed as my skill level has improved. In the beginning of jiu jitsu, I relied more on strength, so I’d be more physically exhausted with less training time than now. Many times I’d end up with symptoms of overtraining and would have to scale back.
I have learned that I do require bodybuilding and conditioning to feel good in jiu jitsu. When the percentage of jiu jitsu greatly outweighs bodybuilding and conditioning, then my body has aches that it normally doesn’t have. With all of the different movements in grappling, my body can get out of balance. When the muscles are not evenly trained this can result in being more prone to injury. The controlled movements of bodybuilding and plyos in my conditioning keep my muscles, tendons, and ligaments strong. I also learned that I mentally do not necessarily retain jiu jitsu if I train in it more often. Lately, it has been an equal amount of time between my bodybuilding/conditioning and jiu jitsu classes. Part of the reason is based on the schedule of classes fitting with my schedule. I have trained 4 to 5 days in the past. I can do 4 days at times, yet 5 days leads to not enough bodybuilding and feeling physically out of line. Regardless of my schedule, both BetaTOR and HMB have my muscles recovering quicker so I can feel recharged and ready for my next day of training whether it’s jiu jitsu or lifting weights.
One of my main focuses for my next tournament is meditation and mental imagery. I meditate on a regular basis, yet I’m increasing it and adding a focus on jiu jitsu leading up to my tournament. It seems more important this time since it has been a while since I’ve competed. When I compete often, it helps with staying calm and present throughout my matches. I’m already affirming that I will be just as calm as if I had just competed last week. No matter how long it has been, I want to be as prepared as possible.
On a personal note, my parents came to visit me for a week this month. It was great to be around family and go on a few California adventures during their time here. It’s a bonus that my parents are active, so we can go on hikes and do plenty of walking to keep my activity at a good level while missing some gym time to spend quality time with them. Keep an eye out for my new 5 Fave video for biceps and happy training!
- Jennifer Dietrick, IFBB Pro/Martial Artist