Please Help With Starter Program For Running and Grappling

I was hoping for a recommendation from you!

I've messed around at Revolution in Thornhill and Ultimate Martial Arts in Scarborugh.

Had a free 30 day pass to Xtreme Couture in Etobicoke but didn't have the chance to take a class there.

It did look like high level grappling though. TorontoBJJ is reguarly mentioned as being a top club as well.

I've heard of the Grappling club running out of Goodlife fitness. Is that where your BB friend is?

I like grappling in theory, and the best part for me was the intensity of the fight.

I never fought growing up, and it always scared me. But in the controlled environment,

it was enjoyable, though I I'm not sure I'd join another club. I might be

willing to check one out though, lol.

I mostly was led into gymnastics as an alternative to martial arts club in fact. I take a small adult Gymnastics class at

Discovery Gymnastics in North York. There is a much bigger adult class at the East York Gymnastics club, but the hours for that didn't work so well for me. The only downside to gymnastics compared to grappling for me is that it's a solitary activity.

It's also different type of intensity of course.

I'm not sure what to recommend...honestly, I haven't been to see many clubs...but the main thing is to like the people you are grappling with and trust that your instructor has a game plan. Invariably they know their stuff. Teaching ability on the other hand....that is more rare....

I know what you mean about the intensity of the fight. I love that part...what makes it so fun...I'm looking forward to that again once in a while...

BTW...where did you learn to do your joint prehab? There's nothing in the GB basic strength book...did you get what you need from the website? Only thing is, one wants to be thorough...can you point me to the basic joint prep needed....?

Where'd you find that adult gymanstics class?? I couldn't find any around Brampton...maybe wasn't looking in the right places...

One option for a grappling club might be Kombat Arts in Mississauga...has a good crew of teachers there in BJJ...

One last thing, the whole reason I've added Tabatas to my program is because they are the only way to get the METS -- or the energy expenditure -- that can equal running that I know of. No other method can work the cardiovascular system like running except, I suspect, the Tabata method which can take you to max heart rate....also Tabata's will add some dynamism such as with val slides or stair climbers; core; boxing bag; body squats; and back again....

Did you try using http://www.ogf.com/clubs/ to search the cities/towns closest to you?

Where I go they mix teens and adults but mostly I'm seperate.

Performed my first kick-up to handstand yesterday against the wall - yahoo!

Siill feel high and actually had a dream where I was swinging

through the city in L-hang position on a long, long rope. And knocked down

a vendors stand. Wild!

Regarding Tabata (using a KB?) intervals there is nothing wrong with them. The only question

would be whether to perform the the same day as GB.

If they had to be the same day after GB would probably be better.

The cardio work is supposed to be fairly moderate before GB. If it's Tabata on a bike as opposed to KB

(Dr. Tabata used a bike I believe) then perhaps before would ok, if you allowed some

recovery time. You would have to play with it and find out how your handle it.

Regarding joint prehab, I do some warm-up first, then do standard stuff like arm and shoulder rotations,

shrugs, shoulder and pec stretches. From the site, I added shoulder disolcates using a jump rope.

My actual practice is about 45-60 minutes 2x week, including breaks - I don't think that is a big volume

and I haven't suffered any shoulder/arm injuries so far. Check out the stickies in the Joint prehab section

and Ido Portal's posts. He has a good prehab routine I gather.

Any club spelling Kombat, I wonder about It's too far, but thanks!

Hi Future,

I typed a response a few days ago but oops, couldn't retrieve the incomplete draft. Sorry about that.

Thanks for the list of clubs. . . it might be good to have someone help with that at a certain point. That dream sounds too funny. Like Spiderman. Let's face it, we're all superheros in training.

Not a bad workout routine. The great thing about the GB program is the efficiency. Not a lot of time for good results it seems like.

Kombat actually is a takeoff the street nearby, "Komato."

Regarding Tabata's. Actually I won't be using any weights at all. I don't want to put on weight because my body responds that way very easily. Only doing it for cardio since nothing else can potentially match running as far as I know, albeit a different kind of cardio of course. Also doing tabata's to teach the body, nervous system, whatever to MOVE. So just pushups, stairclimbers, body squats. Stuff that is unlikely to lead to over training.

I get it, might be too much for the GB days. Just that 4 exercises 3-5 reps plus 3-4 60 seconds of static holds doesn't seem like much volume to me. I remember lifting weights. But then again, gymnastics strength is all different. I'll take your word for it.

No problemo!

Hopefully you will get cleared and can start the program soon. I don't think the work, the majority of which is upper

body would effect your rehab of your hip. You do bend your legs at the hip eventually, though if it pains it doesn't

need to be done fully.

I'm still ramping up to it and still just dabble really. It took me several months in get out of the curiosity stage to start training.

Not time wasted but there is a point where you know enough and need to start doing in order to learn more.

Quite a coincidence on the Kombat !

Well, gotta get to work.

Good luck!

Yeah, I don't know why the physio is restricting upper body stuff. He also just took off until October 26th -- I found out after our last session when I went to his receptionist to rebook! In other words, no notice. Here I am, paying $1500 to this guy for 2 months of rehab, he has all these restrictions, and he just takes off for 4 weeks. What a guy!

To be honest I'd like to get started yesterday. By the way, do you know of any good grappling blogs?

Lockflow has a nice grappling blog. I think if I am on the same page with what you are talking about. They post techniques as well. Some of them I really worked to implement.

Grapplearts.com is excellent. He's redesigned the site, it has a lot of good stuff, well explained although it's gotten

more marketing orientated it seems.

Thanks!

Those are great sites. I've checked them out. It does take time to find posts, but, good blogs.

It seems, in summary, that one can use any set of variations one wants, so long as there is an equal allocation of sets and work between push/pull and core/legs, and not wind up with a "muscle imbalance" making one prone to injury for any sport. Is that right?

Also I was wondering what all the lower body statics one can use? There are L-Sits and Straddle Ls. Any more to balance out the upper body statics I want to use: planche progressions; HSPU progressions; Front Lever? I thought 3 and 3 would be most balanced for a non-gymnast interested in a slightly stronger lower body and core.