JudoFitness

How Strong?

2011-11-07T14:37:00.000-08:00

A lot of people ask, "How strong do you need to be to compete in judo?" For as simple of a question as this is, it tends to lead to fierce debate. One of the founding principles of judo is Maximum Efficiency, with Minimal Effort. With that in mind, as you develop 'the perfect technique', you should need very little strength at all and a small woman should have no problem defeating a much larger man. While a black belt against a white belt can make that ideal a reality, when faced with an opponent experience you are likely to find that size and strength do matter. Which is why we have weight classes in competition judo.

Many people will suggest that strength training is a bad thing for beginners because they will depend on it too much and not learn proper technique. I couldn't disagree more. Being strong isn't the problem. Having the wrong mentality is what is wrong. I have seen plenty of weak beginners trying to utilize too much strength because they don't have the confidence to just use technique. I have students who start off without any kinesthetic awareness or fundamental strength. When I tell them to get lower for a seionage, they get uncomfortable at just a few inches of descent. Their backs curve and their knees buckle in. Not only is this not a strong position to throw from, but it increases the chances of injury by placing the athlete in a biomechanical disadvantage.

With that said though, I do not need my judo players setting world records in power lifting. Most people can get impressively strong with a little bit of hard work. But to get to the elite level in anything takes a whole other level of commitment. A runner might be able to get to a sub 6 mile within a year regardless of where they start, but getting sub 5 might take another 5 years. If you are a runner, that extra effort is worth it. A 220lbs power lifter might be able to get his bench press up to 300 lbs relatively easily, but getting to 400 lbs will take a lot more work. If you are a runner, that additional effort is worth it. But we are neither runners or power lifters, so when you get past the point where the gains are giving you a significant benefit to your judo, it's time to slow down and start focusing on something else that is limiting your judo.

I decided to put together some outlines and targets for strength standards. I took the Weightlifting Performance Standards provided by Dr. Lon Kilgore and published at www.exrx.net. I extrapolated the numbers to judo weight classes and rounded the numbers to the nearest 5lbs since many people don't have access to fractional plates.

I dropped the "untrained" class because none of us should be shooting for that level. As athletes we should be at the novice strength level at the very least. I also dropped the "elite" level because it refers specifically to athletes competing in strength sports. "Less than 1% of the weight training population will attain this level." The time and effort it would take to reach that level is not conducive to the time you need to be on the mat to reach your potential in judo. I changed the "novice, intermediate, and advanced" levels to "Local, Regional, and National" as I believe these targets fit the level of strength the average player at that level will be achieving. Again, I will say that strength doesn't equal skill, but it definitely helps. I have lost to people who were weaker than me, but they were usually better than I was. Or they were faster, or more flexible, or had better endurance, or were tougher mentally. All of those things play a factor in success in competitive judo. All of those skills are important. The difference between those skills and strength though, is that judo training inherently develops most of those other skills. While strength is helpful in judo, judo training doesn't develop maximal strength well. Which is why it is the first place I would start doing supplemental training.

I hope this answers some questions and gives you all some goals worth working towards.

Click the image above to view the document

36Floors of Hell and Metabolic Pathways for Judo.

2011-09-04T16:55:00.001-07:00

As a welcome back to the Pitt Judo Club, our first strength and conditioning session was done at the Cathedral Learning. Stairwell A goes all the way from floor G to the 36th floor. This is about a 450ft climb straight up. I like this event because it will toast your legs, but more importantly because it can be done in 5minutes (the length of a judo competition), at least if you are really good. It took me 7:13 so I’ve got a way to go, but I like the idea of how it hits all the metabolic pathways.

For a detailed explanation of this graph, you can go here, But the down and dirty of it in this context is the athlete starts off, maybe taking 2 stairs at a time. This is relatively easy to start as it is not near the capacity of their phosphogen system as if they were doing a jump for max height or a max weight squat. They burn through their ATP stores in a matter of seconds and now the 2 steps at a time starts to get more difficult. Still working anaerobically, the athlete is using ATP, muscle glycogen stored in their muscles and lactate. Depending on the athlete’s condition, 2-4 minutes and they will transfer to the lactic shuttle utilizing glycogen, and lactic acid. At this stage, the athlete will be challenging themselves to maintain the pace up the stairs. They are likely to be down to single steps and may be walking them instead. Finally, when the athlete can no longer maintain the intensity of anaerobic production, they will go aerobic which has a higher sustainability, but a lower power production. At this point, only the best conditioned athletes will still be moving with any speed. As the air is stuffy and the stairways narrow, just getting a breath in is a challenge here.

Duration	Classification	Energy Supplied By
1 to 4 seconds	Anaerobic	ATP (in muscles)
4 to 10 seconds	Anaerobic	ATP + CP
10 to 45 seconds	Anaerobic	ATP + CP + Muscle glycogen
45 to 120 seconds	Anaerobic, Lactic	Muscle glycogen
120 to 240 seconds	Aerobic + Anaerobic	Muscle glycogen + lactic acid
240 to 600 seconds	Aerobic	Muscle glycogen + fatty acids

A friend of mine came along with us and wore a heart rate monitor. His results were very interesting.

Keep in mind that he is 35 years old and only getting back in shape, so HR isn’t as high as the college aged kids and he took a little longer than the majority of my athletes. You can see how his HR climbed rapidly within the first 2 minutes showing that his heart was working harder to get more oxygen to his muscles as he was burning through his other energy systems. Once his HR got up above his VO2 Max, he was bouncing between working aerobically and anaerobically.

So, the other thing you’ll notice is that while you are working anaerobically, you aren’t just using one system at a time, When you are working the phosphogenic system, you are working the other 2. When you are glycolytic, you are still using the oxidative system. But, when you are oxidative, you are not using the other two.

So, this implies that for a sport like judo, where you will be using all 3 systems, you need to be training in all 3. But because you aren’t using all 3 evenly in judo we should bias our training to give us the endurance we need. My approach this next year with my club is going to take the 3 energy systems divided into 6. 3 sessions will focus on the phosphogenic system, 2 sessions will be on the glycolytic system, and 1 session out of 6 will focus on some aerobic conditioning in the oxidative system.

This is just a jumping off point for a method of thought. There are a lot different ways this could be implemented, but for establishing a balanced effective program, it should be a good approach. So, for an advanced athlete training 6 days a week on top of their judo, they might do Mon-P, Tues-G, Wed-P, Thurs-G, Fri-P, Sat-O

Most people probably won’t be able to train that much in addition to their judo. For someone who can only train once a day and get to judo 3 days a week, their schedule might look like this:

Week1: Mon-J, Tues-P, Wed-J, Thurs-G, Fri-J, Sat-P, Sun-rest

Week2: Mon-J, Tues-G, Wed-J, Thurs-P, Fri-J, Sat-O, Sun-rest

I’m excited to see how this plays out and how it impacts the performance of my athletes and my own judo.

TwitterChat

2011-04-27T06:24:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that I will be leading a twitterchat with Scott Bird from StraighttotheBar.com tonight at 9PM Eastern. On twitter just use the hash tage #sbgym to participate.

Details

Pretty Judo

2011-04-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

Came across this nice highlight video and thought I'd share.

Enjoy!

Old School Judo

2011-04-12T08:38:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share this great video of my first judo teacher. This is back from 1970 before I was born, let alone even doing judo. You can see him at the end of the video throwing his student around like it is effortless. Even a few years ago when I would randori with him, I couldn't pull anything off on the man. And he was well into his 60's at that time.

Back in his day, Mr. Kim was quite the legend in Korea. He was the Korean National Champion and a national hero of sorts. Of course you have to hear these stories from his students who have been around longer than I have because you won't hear anything even bordering on bragging from him. His stories from Korea are either about growing up on a farm or about how he used to "get bounced around like a tennis ball" when he started judo. By all accounts, this could not have been for very long. Here is an article from Jon Bluming's experience when he met Mr. Kim in Korea during his competitive years.

More recently Mr. Kim has had some health complications. Here is an article from a local paper about his recover which has been nothing short of remarkable. I feel truly blessed that he is back on the mat again teaching and his shime waza (choking technique) is just as strong as ever.

The Support You’d Like

2011-03-23T19:15:00.001-07:00

What’s going on on the other side of the street

I caught this video and it made me wish that the university gave us the same kind of support that our sister grappling sport receives. There is so much more we could do if I had regular access to a weight room where we don’t have to worry about dropping bars, or a room where we can climb ropes. Or if we could get up to the Cost Center and flip tires. (Actually, I might be able to work that one out).

Then I thought about a recent post on the Fitness subforum on the JudoForum where I advised another forum member not to let his lack of weight room and equipment keep him from doing resistance training. There is a lot you can do with body weight, sand bags, other home made equipment, resistance bands, or what we are experts in (moving, lifting, and throwing other people). Don’t let a lack of equipment keep you from doing what you need to do to achieve greatness. Get creative and get it done. I’ve heard stories about the training conditions in Cuba and how they are very rustic at best. It doesn’t seem to keep them from having some pretty nice judo.

So, get on the mat, get in the weight room, get to the stairs, hills, beach where ever it is that will get you better and get it done!

Workouts for Judo Review

2011-03-19T15:06:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I shared that 2008 Olympian Matt D'Aquino was releasing an ebook titled "Workouts for Judo". Well that day is finally here and let me say that Matt has done a really nice job with this project. If you have followed any of Matt's YouTube videos, once you get past his goofy Aussie accent, you know he's the real deal and has a great ability as a teacher.

In this book, he lays out his philosophy for training off the mat and gives some pretty good examples on how to put together various exercises into workouts that will give you the wind to keep you technique sharp and your opponents on their heals.

I think this book will be beneficial to beginners and experienced players alike as Matt gives examples of how to increase the challenge of each exercise as well as some suggestions on how to scale them back if needed.

"Workouts for Judo" is 90 pages long and starts off by explaining his foundation for the book outlines the physical skills a judoka needs to be successful in competition. He then goes into a comprehensive list of the exercises you need to be familiar with for his workouts. All the exercises have good step by step pictures and descriptions on how to do the exercise as well as tips on how to avoid injury or how to scale the exercise to your fitness level.

Then he gets to the good part. His recommended warm-up is solid and should have you ready for the workouts. It's general and I like to do something a little more specialized for what I need, but as far as what you can put in a book and have it work for everyone, it is a good dynamic warm-up. Then he goes into 30 different workouts and a recommendation on how to put them together into a program. Each workout should last between 4-10 minutes depending on how hard you push, then he recommends a 5-10 minute break before hitting the next one. His recommended hour long training session puts 4 workouts sandwiched between the warm-up and cool down, but there is no reason not to do just one after a strength session, or 2 when you have a little bit of time for your lunch break from work. Here you can see one of his workouts in action.

He gives a nice cool down example of a series of static stretches. It's nothing too complicated, but I like that he places an emphasis on taking care of yourself after the workout.

He wraps things up with a chapter on nutrition, the importance of sleep, and a handy little food and training journal template. His nutrition advise isn't completely in line with the paleo recommendations I make for my athletes, but there is a reason so many people follow different camps on this topic. Matt lives this stuff and it is obviously working for him, so I couldn't fault him too much when I was giving him feedback during his editing process. I did make some recommendations for him to do some additional research so it will be interesting to see if it has any influence on him down the line.

Also for the first week he has released this, he is also throwing in two additional ebooks, "Maximum Grip Training for Judo" and "Beginner's Guide to Grappling". Grip strength is essential in competitive modern judo and Matt lays out a pretty nice list of exercises. Many of them I had never thought of and I'm looking forward to trying out. The "Beginner's Guide to Grappling" is also a nice little extra in the package. Like I said, Matt is a great teacher and even though this book isn't teaching me any techniques I'm not all ready familiar with, it nice to review and to read the explanation of an Olympian. He has some nice insights and many of the pictures are linked to his YouTube videos where he explains things in greater detail.

In conclusion, YES, this book gets the JudoFitness.com seal of approval and if you are looking for a resource to put you on the right track for your conditioning check out www.workoutsforjudo.com.

The Dot Drill

2011-03-03T07:24:00.000-08:00

Our newest club member learning how to deadlift.

This morning I introduced the Pitt club to The Dot Drill. The dot drill is obviously designed to improves speed and agility. It also improves coordination and endurance. An added benefit I like for judo is that if you want a fast time, you really need to focus on balance and kinesthetic awareness. The more you can keep your center of gravity over the center dot, the faster your time will be. And finally, maybe the best benefit of the dot drill is injury prevention. Bigger Faster Stronger (who invented this drill) claims that they have seen great results in injury prevention by using this drill as a daily warmup. There is also significant literature out there supporting the benefits of plymetric exercise on injury prevention.

Here is a video of some of my athletes on their first attempt at this drill. I'll post another one at the end of the semester when I'm confident they will be much improved.

And here is my attempt. I'd like more accuracy out of myself, but it wasn't a bad effort.

New Ebook- Workouts for Judo

2011-01-26T07:44:00.000-08:00

Our friend and 2008 Olympian Matt D'Aquino is publishing a new ebook titled "Workouts for Judo". Matt is a true student of the game with fantastic fitness to back up his technique.

From his blog:

Soon I will be releasing a Workouts for Judo eBook. Full of step by step photos, exercises, workouts, training tips and lots more!

To join my early bird list visit www.workoutsforjudo.com
Here you will receive a free eBook on the "10 Essential exercises for Judokas" as well as heaps of great info and tips that will help get you fitter, faster and stronger FOR Judo.

Visit www.workoutsforjudo.com for more info

Matt's free "10 Essential Exercises for Judokas" is a good resource and he's really put a nice little publication together. So, go check it out and we look forward to seeing "Workouts for Judo" in just over a month.

Introducing the JudoErg!

2011-01-25T07:05:00.000-08:00

Concept 2 has made a great product called the SkiErg. It is like their C2 rower on end against the wall. You pull down to generate force and pull with your arms similar to a cross country skiing motion.

From the minute I saw this new machine, the applications for judo uchikomi immediately started running through my mind. For a long time judoka have been using bicycle tires and fitness bands to do uchikomi when an uke isn't available. I envisioned the SkiErg being converted to do the same thing. Only now, the resistance is adjustable. As you pull harder, the movement becomes harder. You can't be jerky with your kuzushi, a smooth steady pull with power is necessary to keep your balance. You'd have a way of measuring calories burned. And most importantly, a way of measuring power through wattage as a method of measuring the efficiency of your technique.

I had some email exchanges and a phone call or 2 with Greg Hammond @ Concept2 about the feasibility of this plan. He loved the idea and told me about the MMA guys using the SkiErg. It really is a great tool taking all the benefits of the rower and using your body differently. Greg convinced me that conversion into a JudoErg was totally feasible and he sounded just as excited about it as I was. So, I ordered it. Then it sat in my basement for a few months as I had no place to attach it.

So, here we are with me working back at Pitt again and coaching the judo club. I got the ok to install the SkiErg in the gym here and got the carpenter who installed it to put some attachments in the wall at around shoulder height. I ordered a pair of pulleys online and they came in yesterday. Running the handle through the pulley and attaching the pulley to the wall anchor made a perfect surface for the cable to run across so it could be pulled straight out. The cable is a little bit short and I'd like to add a little more length which I just talked to Greg about and he says is an easy fix by hooking more cable onto the handles. But the first run was a success.

I set up a circuit with an athlete at each station

30seconds on: 15seconds off

Box Jumps

LandMine Scoop & Press (more info coming on this one later)

Sandbag shouldering

JudoErg uchikomi

Knees to Elbows

Jump Squats

I gave them 1:30 rest and then went through a second round.

The power setting on the erg revealed some interesting things at first glance. Keep in mind this was a first time using this set up and these are only initial observations. White and yellow belts seemed to pull in the high 20 wattage. Blue/ brown belts held their power output in the high 30's. When I got on to test it out, I was up in the low 60's. It really has me thinking about the efficient transfer of power and where you generate power from when executing a throw. I hope that the JudoErg can be used as a tool to help my athletes discover where they are the strongest and how technique and timing work together to improve their kuzushi rather than muscling through a technique.

I can't wait to make the adjustments and to get some more time on this new tool. This is going to be great fun!

Another Week Down

2011-01-21T14:38:00.000-08:00

I had another good week with the kids at Pitt. The team is coming along nicely with 22 different young judoka showing up. Now if I could just get them all there at one time. I can really see a difference in the ones who have been showing up regularly though. I can't wait until we get to our first competition this semester.

The downside is that I had intended to get more practice in with them. But some of my drills on the mat are new to them and they still take a lot of coaching so I'm sitting back until they get it. Also in the weight room, their technique is getting better, but it takes me longer to warm up so they are all ready in their work sets while I'm still making my way up to actual lifting weight. I'll just have to get them stronger so they catch up to me. The great thing is that the way that these young kids adapt, I'm sure they'll be caught up with me before you know it.

I also got some new toys in the gym this week so I will be implementing them with the team for our strength and conditioning next week.

Indomitable Spirit

2011-01-14T10:47:00.001-08:00

After a good week of judo practice with the Pitt kids, they got me thinking about desire to win or on a bigger level, making yourself better whether on the mat or in general as a human being. My coaching style has changed a lot over the past 10 years or so. When I used to coach high school wrestling, I was a loud, in your face coach pushing kids like a drill instructor. Now I'm dealing with college students with varying levels of experience, skill, fitness, and commitment. I want a good team that is competitive and represents the university well, but I also don't believe that I'm going to get it from pushing these kids harder than they are willing to be pushed. I see my role now as providing the path for them to push themselves on. I realize that this method will only get them as far as they are willing to go. While past John would think that this is allowing them to fall short of their potential and excepting mediocrity, present John has learned that they are only going to get as far in any endeavor as they are willing to challenge themselves regardless of what I do. Success is up to you and no one else is responsible for your success or failure.

So, as a coach, it is my role to encourage them to make the choices to push towards greatness. What I think about is trying to instill an 'indomitable spirit". That "can do" attitude that pushes you forward even when you fail is missing from so many. Some think that getting angry when you lose or if you are having a hard time with something, is a way to improve, but even when it does, it is short lived. That level of emotionalism is exhausting and you can only get so mad before you burn out.

My 1st judo teacher, Mr. Kim always says (in his broken Korean accent), "Someone beat you down, shake his hand. Say thank you for beat me down today, I train twice as hard and beat you next time." That kind of humility is more than just good sportsmanship, it is essential for growth and long term improvement.

One of my favorite Poems:

Invictus

William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Collegiate Judo

2011-01-10T06:29:00.000-08:00

I'm really stoked for this semester. I'm coaching the Pitt Judo Club and taking the opportunity to really turn it into a collegiate judo program. We had our first practice this morning. After a good warmup, we did some moving uchikomi. Then did a grip & throw drill. Then we moved to the ground and drilled armbars from the guard. We finished off with randori. Tomorrow will be day 1 in the weight room where we will focus on learning to squat properly.

I haven't posted the past few days because I had some technical difficulty with my home computer. On Thurs, I swam 3x (25, 50, 100yd) with 1:1 work:rest. I don't believe that swimming is the best exercise for judo in terms of physiology, but I do love the mental concept of how important proper technique is and how you can get more from less and how important it is to be fluid while maintaining basic fundamentals.

I have to confess that I missed judo class on Fri night. My wife's car was broken into and I had to take care of that. There wasn't even anything to steal. I'll be back on schedule this week.

I weighed in @ 190lbs this morning. I'd like to be moving a little faster, but I wasn't as clean as I should have been so I'll just have to buckle down more this week.

Getting Strong.

2011-01-06T05:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I finally got back under the bar. I definitely lost a little bit with time off over the holidays, but it wasn't too bad.

Back Squat: 265x5 (realized I wasn't going to be hitting any PRs today), 275x5 (had some trouble hitting depth so staid here), 275x5, 275x3, 285x3.

Pull-ups: 3 of 7 w/ 25lbs plate on belt. I only got 5 consecutive then had to crunch out the other 2. I think the weight I put back on over the holidays caught up with me.

Then I worked on hip mobility doing the stretches from the Mobility WOD for the day.

Got back on the mat last night as well. Worked Tsurikomi Goshi and some competition variations as well as drilling some armbars from the guard, then a juji gatame break for when uke clasps his arms. Then some randori and finished with a partner stretch for internal rotation of the shoulder. (Think being put in reverse ude garame)

Rough Day

2011-01-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning enthusiastic for some sprints and looking forward to getting back under the bar after some time off. I bundled up, put the leash on the dog and after a brief warm-up, I started on 8x 200m sprints w/ 1:30 rest. I was hitting them around 40 sec and my fastest was 33 sec, but on the 7th go at it, I realized that my warm-up was a little too brief. My hammy got crazy tight and I had to back off, though I did finish.

I spent the rest of the morning doing the couch stretch (only not as well as Kelly below), and SMR. Even though these two exercises are considered "rest and recovery", there is nothing relaxing about them. They hurt far worse than getting underneath a 300lbs bar and squatting ass to grass. I over course take this as a sign that I need to do more of it.

Photo courtesy of CrossFit SanFransico

Chose to push off my weight training today because the hamstring was sore, but I think I should be good to pick back up on it tomorrow.

Cutting Weight and Losing Out

2011-01-02T06:33:00.000-08:00

This article was originally posted in "Growing Judo- Sept '10"

There is something universally appealing about the story of David and Goliath. The concept of the “little guy” overcoming the challenge of the opponent’s size and strength with the odds against him appeals to our idealism. On the other hand, when given the option, most of us would choose to be Goliath when facing off against an opponent. Athletes in weight-class sports like judo and wrestling have been known to cut large amounts of weight using extreme methods (9), trying to be Goliaths in David-sized weight divisions. If athletes can gain an edge over the competition, most will make the sacrifice to get there. However, is it really an advantage? How does the rapid weight loss due to the weight-cutting methods of wrestlers and judo competitors affect performance?

As a former wrestling coach and a competitive judo athlete, I have seen all sorts of methods for cutting weight. From jumping rope while wearing a garbage bag in a room of hot showers, to spitting in a cup while in a car with the heat on in the middle of summer, athletes will go to extreme measures to "make weight." I was taught these methods by my coaches, who were taught from their coaches, who had it passed down from their coaches. It has become a tradition in these sports; something athletes do, not only to gain a competitive advantage, but just to maintain a level playing field because "everyone else is doing it." Due to the 1997 deaths of three collegiate wrestlers, rules have been put in place to restrict the lowest weight class a wrestler can drop to at the beginning of the season, and practices such as laxative use and exercising in steam rooms have been banned (17). However, while these rule changes have made improvements, coaches and athletes continue to press the limits and find ways around rules meant to ensure the safety of athletes (1,5,9,10,13). Competitors will take risks that may have long-term health hazards if it will increase their chances of winning in the short term. Furthermore, while wrestling has made efforts to deter extreme weight cutting practices, sports like judo do not have the same level of organization and oversight to institute and enforce similar rules. Because of this, we need to take a closer look at the results of these practices and determine whether cutting weight is really going to give an athlete an advantage. This question needs to weigh the intended benefits with the negative aspects of physiological performance, mental and emotional health, and the risk of injury. If there is no real advantage, or if there is a negative effect, athletes and coaches need to be educated. This will have more effect on discouraging these dangerous methods than rules and regulations.

Methods of cutting weight result in a restricted energy diet and severe dehydration. Dehydration of 3-4% body weight causes a loss in strength and power of 3% on average, and a decrease in high intensity endurance of 10% on average (8). This counters the intended result of being the strongest competitor in the lower weight class. In order to attach significance to these numbers, if the average high school athlete can squat 1.5 times his body weight, David, a judo competitor at the 73kg weight class, would lift 109.5kg. Goliath, an athlete at 76kg trying to cut down, would naturally be able to lift 114kg. If Goliath cut 3kg (4% of his body weight) to get to the lower weight class it would cost him 3.5kg off his max lift, so he would still be stronger than his competition, but not by much. Meanwhile, if Goliath were able to squat that weight 20 times in a minute, this rapid weight loss would leave him only able to squat that weight 18 times in a minute. You can imagine how this trade off would take the efforts into the red by the end of a match. The slight strength advantage would not make up for the negative effect on endurance. There have been studies that have shown wrestlers who recovered their strength and power by the end of the season (3,4) but these studies have focused on Division I collegiate wrestlers. I would argue that there are a couple of factors going on here including that these are the most experienced athletes choosing fewer extreme rapid weight loss methods. In addition, these studies compared the athlete against themselves at various points in the season and not against a control group. Based on the vast majority of other studies out there (3,9,12,13,15,16) these athletes could potentially be looking at better results with more conservative weight management.

Another concern over cutting weight is how it affects cognitive abilities. Both judo and wrestling are “thinking man’s” sports. If the results of cutting weight leave the athlete unfocused mentally, he is likely to find himself on the bottom of a pin or staring at the ceiling after being on the wrong end of a throw. Cutting weight can leave an athlete distracted and impair his ability to make good and timely decisions (14). Rapid weight loss prior to a competition has also been shown to cause concussion like symptoms, affect short term and visual memory, and increase a self awareness of fatigue (6, 12). The impact on an athlete’s mood should also be taken into consideration. Judo competitors who practice rapid weight loss have experienced increased anger and depression (16). If an athlete is in an unstable emotional state, it will have a negative impact on performance (2). The impact of both these mental and emotional factors needs to be taken into consideration in regards to whether an athlete should drop a weight class.

Finally, athletes need to be aware of an increased risk of injury. We cannot justify a practice that only gives a marginal advantage at best when there is an increased risk of young athletes being hurt. One study found that in judo competition, judo competitors who lost more than 2% of their body weight had an increased risk of injury during competition; and athletes who lost more weight were at an even greater risk (7). The combination of negative effects on cognitive ability and physiological performance create a dangerous state for performing intense physical activity (18). Hormonal factors such as an increase in creatine kinase concentration can lead to an impairment of muscular function and an increased susceptibility to injury (12).

Picture courtesy of www.theworldofpei.com

With these clearly negative results, I find it difficult to justify cutting more than a few pounds to make a lower weight class. The prospect of being weaker and having less endurance just to fight smaller people is a bad coaching decision. The mental and emotional side also cannot be underrated. While it may be difficult to quantify this aspect, the importance is undeniable. I cannot begin to count the number of talented athletes I have seen walk away from judo and wrestling purely out of burn out. The increased risk of injury is the best reason not to cut weight when your primary concern is performance and winning. If an athlete is hurt, he isn’t competing or practicing, and thus not improving. I have also witnessed a belief in the myth that you can rehydrate as quickly as you dehydrate. Competitors will cut weight for weigh-ins and then drink water and Gatorade immediately afterwards hoping to rehydrate before their first match, but this is misguided. There is a finite rate of absorption and it will take time to for that liquid to adequately rehydrate the body.

It will be challenging to convince athletes and coaches with years of experience that what has been done for decades by “everyone” is wrong. Education is necessary to make these points clear. Clinical studies exposing the practices of elite athletes, who use healthy methods of regulating weight, are going to be essential in changing the environment that surrounds these sports. It is not enough to tell athletes simply not to cut weight; we need to give them the tools so they know what they should be doing in regards to diet and exercise to reach their potential. The same way that athletes know they need to warm-up before a competition, we need to build that same sense of common sense on this issue. Hopefully, this knowledge will revolutionize the approach coaches take toward fostering a competitive advantage, realizing the health of their athletes is paramount to achieving this goal. In the meantime, stricter rules and regulations should be implemented by the national governing bodies of these sports in order to deter these dangerous practices.

1. Bartok C, Schoeller D, Clark R, Sullivan J, Landry G. The effect of dehydration on wrestling minimum weight assessment. Med Sci Sport Exer. 2004; 36 (1):160-167.

2. Beedie C, Terry P, Lane A. The Profile of Mood States and athletic performance: two meta-analyses. J Appl Sport Psychol. 2000;12(1):49-68.

3. Boisseau N, Vera-Perez S, Poortmans J. Food and Fluid Intake in Adolescent Female Judo Athletes Before Competition. Pediatr Exerc Sci. 2005, 17, 62-71

4. Buford T, Rossi S, Smith D, O'Brien M, Pickering C. The effect of a competitive wrestling season on body weight, hydration, and muscular performance in collegiate wrestlers. J Strength Cond Res. 2006; 20(3): 689-692

5. Buford T, Smith D, O’Brien M, Warren A, Rossi S. Seasonal changes of body mass, body composition, and muscular performance in collegiate wrestlers. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. 2008;3:176-184.

6. Case S, Horswill C, Landry G, Oppliger R, Shetler A. Weight loss in wrestlers. Current Comment from the ACSM. January 1998.

7. Choma C, Sforzo G, Keller B. Impact of rapid weight loss on cognitive function in collegiate wrestlers. Med Sci Sport Exer. 1998; 30(5):746-749.

8. Green C, Petrou1 M, Fogarty-Hover M, Rolf C. Injuries among judokas during competition. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2007;17: 205–210.

9. Judelson D, Maresh C, Anderson J, Armstrong L, Casa D, Kraemer W, Volek J. Hydration and muscular performance: does fluid balance affect strength, power and high-intensity endurance. Sports Med. 2007;37(10):907-921.

10. Luttermoser G, Gochenour D, Shaughnessy A. Determining a Minimum Wrestling Weight for Interscholastic Wrestlers. J Fam Pract. 1999;48(3):208-216.

11. Oppliger R, Nelson-Steen S, Scott J. Weight loss practices of college wrestlers. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2003;13:29-46Growing Judo, September 2010 Page 9

12. Patel A, Mihalik J, Notebaert A, Guskiewicz K, Prentice W. Neuropsychological performance, postural stability, and symptoms after dehydration. J Athl Train. 2007;42(1):66–75.

13. Smith M, Dyson R, Hale T, Hamilton M, Kelly J, Wellington P. The effects of restricted energy and fluid intake on simulated amateur boxing performance. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2001;11:238-247.

14. Taylor HA, D’Anci KE, Vibhakar A, Kanter J, Mahoney CR. Hydration status for optimal cognitive performance. Paper presented at: American Psychological Society Annual Convention; May 26–29, 2005; Los Angeles, CA. Available at www.psychologicalscience.org Accessed Nov 30, 2008.

15. Timpmann S, Ööpik V, Pääsuke M, Medijainen L, Ereline J. Acute effects of self-selected regimen of rapid body mass loss in combat sports athletes. J Sport Sci Med. 2008; 7:210-217.

16. Umeda T, Nakaji S, Shimoyama T, Yamamoto Y, Totsuka M, Sugawara K. Adverse effects of energy restriction on myogenic enzymes in judoists. J Sports Sci. 2004; 22: 329–338.

17. The Center for Nutrition in Sport and Human Performance. Taking it to the mat: the wrestler’s guide. Available at http://www.ncaa.org/wps/ncaa?ContentID=2042. Accessed Nov 30, 2008.

18. Yoshioka Y, Umeda T, Nakaji S, Kojima A, Tanabe M, Mochida N, Sugawara N. Gender differences in the the psychological response to weight reduction in judoists. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2006; 16:187-198.

Sat, Jan 1st Workout

2011-01-01T13:03:00.001-08:00

Photo Courtesy of http://athletemovie.com

Just got back from my parent's house where I did my first workout of the year. I biked on the Computrainer and did the Orange County Triathlon course. It was 23.9 miles of pretty sizable hills for the first half and a long gradual downhill for the second half with a steep decent right at the finish. I had the pacer set at 200 watts which had me pull out for an early lead at the start, but I was fighting him off the second half on the downhill as I had a hard time keeping the wattage up while maintaining a high cadence.

Another great thing about the Computrainer is that it analyzes and displays the efficiency of your pedal stroke. I still have to familiarize myself with the software, but the balance between my right and left leg showed some glaring weakness as I fatigued. I was pretty even with force production between my legs for the first 10 miles or so. Normally, it favored my right leg 51%-49% with the biggest disparity going to 54%-46% but only for moments. As I fatigued however, I started to fall off to an average of 53%-47% between my right and left legs and it broke down to 62%-38% for some moments.

I'm also working on some mechanical problems with my knees tracking outside a little as I come over the top stroke. I suspect this is a result of tightness in my TFL not to mention tightness in my legs and hips in general. So, there is much PNF & Self Myofascial Release in the future. More to come on that.

Looking forward to a rest day tomorrow, but this was a good start to the new year.

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T07:13:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years everyone! I'll tell you, I'm not a big fan of New Years Resolutions. Every year, I see hoards of fitness neophytes with the best of intentions and loads of enthusiasm. It makes the gym a much less fun place to be for about 2 weeks. Then about 25% drop off. After a full month, another 25% have left and opened up space on the squat rack where they had been doing shoulder shrugs and bicep curls. By the end of Feb, all but a few of the "resolutioners" have cleared out my beloved temple of strength and it's back to life as normal.

This year however, I'm on the other side of the fence. I had said that I wouldn't let the holidays get in the way of my training, and nutrition, but with the death of my brother-in-law and the stress on time and the grieving process, not to mention all the great people who brought over food for the family. It wasn't exactly paleo either, but no one expects "comfort food" to be healthy. I hit a few workouts, but not on the schedule I was supposed to be on. Regardless of the excuses, I still weighed in at 191.8lbs this morning.

So, this year, I do have my resolutions, but I don't want to end up at the same place in February as most others who identify a need for change at this time of year. I think part of the problem is that people expect fast results. Well, to be honest, so do I, but I also know what realistic goals are. If I'm losing a little bit of weight every week and I lift a little more every week, then I'm happy. That is of course until I hit a plateau, then I change up the plan and keep working hard. The other reason people quit is because they see a resolution as a temporary fix to put their lives back in order, then they can go back to "business as usual". If a change is worth making, it should be sustainable as a way of life. It needs to be a commitment to a way of life. Being a judoka should reflect that commitment to a life as an athlete.

I'm also committing to more frequent updates on this website. I'm going to be coaching the University of Pittsburgh Judo Club and will have a lot to post on their training in addition to my own training. So, I hope everyone else is committed to whatever life changes you need to make to improve your health, your judo, and the quality of your lives in general.

Thrown off Track

2010-12-21T06:44:00.000-08:00

GySgt Justin E. Schmalstieg

God bless you.

So, I had been intending to make some posts last week, bu t my Brother-in-Law GySgt Justin Schmalstieg was killed in Afghanistan last week. He was a Hero and will be missed. So, needless to say, my training has taken a back seat the past week and a half. My weight loss will probably be the most set back as I've been eating like crap. In the meantime, I'll get myself back on track ASAP as soon as we finish the funeral on Wednesday.

Growing Up

2010-12-10T07:43:00.000-08:00

So, I realized that I must be getting old the other day. I was on my squat day and was moving up in weight. I started off feeling a little sluggish coming out of the hole during my warmup sets, but once I moved into the sets of 5 at 265 and 275 I felt OK. 285 was challenging, but I was successful.

Then I moved into my 2 sets of 3. I did the first one at a moderate adjustment to 290 then intended to go up to 295 for my last set. I got the 290 up, but felt my form fall apart doing so. Now, I have no problems when I'm coaching identifying a good day of lifting and knowing when to back off an athlete or stop all together. There is nothing wrong with that and the athletes still respond to the training, even if we don't follow it the way it was initially written 100% of the way. That being said, I have not always had that level of maturity in my own training. If I wrote it down, I have this OCD need to perform to the letter. The thing is, I would be willing to sacrifice technique, safety, and performance just to hit target numbers. Some how something clicked in my mind the other day though and I realized that these numbers don't mean anything. They certainly aren't impressive. If I'm not lifting correctly, then I'm not going to be moving up hitting the targets I'm shooting for next week, and ultimately, it's not making me a better athlete. So, I bumped the weight back down to 285, finished the squats with near perfect technique, and walked away happy.

While this is a sign that I've gained maturity and will keep me on the path to effective gains in my training, I can't seem to shake the feeling that I'm getting old.

The Plan

2010-12-06T07:36:00.000-08:00

All right, I've been slower on the posts than I was intending, but it's because I've been training which is a much higher priority.

Here's what I've been doing:

Endurance Training (This is separate, but hopefully beneficial to my judo goals. I'm doing a Half Ironman in October 2011 so I need to do some endurance focused training):

4x per week: Mon, Tues, Fri, Sat- rotating between swim, bike, and run, focusing mostly on interval training, but working some tempo and occasional distance runs in.

Strength Training: I'm able to get in 3 days a week so I chose a simple A/B program.

A: Squat 5-5-5-3-3

Weighted Pullups 3x7

Strongman Effort

B: Deadlift 3-3-3-1-1

Press 3x5

Short Gymnastics Metcon

So, week 1 had Mon= A, Wed= B, Thurs= A

I've worked my way up to 275lbs on the sets of 5 in back squat and the second A day, I did front squats with 115lbs on the sets of 5.

Week 2 will have me deadlifting twice in the same week, I learned the hard way that I can't handle deadlifting heavy twice in the same week so this week I will deadlift today and when I hit B day again on Thurs, I will go lighter and do clean pulls to work on power.

I've also managed to work 2 days of judo a week into my schedule. I wish it was more, but this is all I can do with my schedule right now. We had an inner club tournament this weekend, and the rust was apparent. It was good to be on the mat, but frustrating to not be able to move the way I'd like to. It'll come though.

In a few weeks, when my strength gets back where I'd like it, I'll be re working the strength plan to focus more on power.

Oh and my weight last Mon started at 193. This morning I was @ 191. I'm guessing that the potato pancakes and apple pie last night at my in laws while watching the Steelers game didn't help, so I'm happy with the results this week. I'll just have to buckle down this week and get back on the paleo move. I'll be posting more on that later.

Why Would you do That?

2010-11-14T14:24:00.000-08:00

I thought it might be a good idea to explain why I selected the tests I chose for my fitness test.

I started with blood work as an immediate way to assess my internal health and besides my waist line, it will be a good measure the effectiveness of my diet.

Anthropometric measurements and body fat %. I took these measurements mostly out of idle curiosity. I'm much more interested in my performance tests, but this will be good fuel for my ego. A lot of trainers get hung up on body fat percentage because it's more valuable than weight and will let you know if the athlete is losing the right kind of weight, but I'm more focused on performance as my measure. If an athlete is losing weight and still achieving strength gains, then it isn't likely that they are losing muscle.

I chose the deadlift because, well because it's awesome. The deadlift and the squat are the two most significant measures of strength I can think of. I chose the front squat over say a back squat because of an article written by Jason Struck a while back. I still do back squats, but wanted to use the front squat as my baseline.

My two tests for explosive power were the standing broad jump and the Sumo DeadLift High Pull. Now, I know some people out there will be disappointed with this selection as there are better tests for your explosive power than a SDHP, such as a clean or the snatch. However, my Olympic lifts are so jacked up right now that just practicing them and improving my technique will have a larger impact on what I can lift than an actual improvement in my physiology. My training will include a lot more Oly lifts than SDHPs, but we'll see how that effects my SDHP and long jumps.

I included the lateral plyo pushups for an upper body pushing movement testing power and coordination. It was with one hand on a 6" platform going from side to side, with chest to ground every rep for 1 minute. I'll post a video later.

The jump & turn test was an invention of my own to assess balance, agility, and coordination. With two of those platforms I used for the lateral plyo pushups, I set them 30" apart and jumped with a tai sabaki movement for as many as possible in 30 seconds. Any falls were not counted.

The Dot Drill is a great test for agility and a way to learn to use your balance to create movement. I regularly include it as part of my warmup.

Gi Pullups were a test of strength endurance for an upper body pulling motion as well as a measure of grip strength.

I chose "Fran" as a test for glycolitic system conditioning. A decent time for that particular CrossFit workout is 5 minutes which happens to be how long a judo match is. And also like a judo match, the faster you can finish it, the better off you are.

I'm also going to add in some mobility assessments, but I'm still working on finding something simple to measure that will tell us something significant.

The Comeback

2010-11-11T13:19:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm back from Afghanistan and ready to get back in shape and start competing again. After 10 months off the mat, this is going to be like starting as a beginner again, only a lot smarter than when I did it the first time. I invite you all to follow along my little experiment.

I'm a lot weaker and my endurance is worse than I can ever remember it being. I'm also fatter than I've ever been. I intend to make a committed effort to my fitness, judo training, diet, and sleep. After bouncing ideas around with my good friend Mark Fenner, we came up with the following areas to keep track of:

Here is what I have so far. Remember, I'm not proud of this, but it is reality and everyone has to start some where.

Blood Work- Blood Pressure: 112/ 66 (not so bad) Resting Heart Rate: 62 (ok, but I'd like to see it lower) Total Cholesterol: 254 (definitely in the warning zone. I'd like to see what the HDL/ LDL looks like, but total is all the Marine Corps would do for me) Blood Glucose: 105 (The Marine Corps tells me that's high, but every website I could find said it's still in normal ranges though still on the high side)

Anthropometric Measurements- Waist: 37.5" Hips: 37" Chest: 41.25" Neck: 17" Biceps 14"

Body Fat%- I measured this via the Marine Corps method because regardless of how inaccurate it is, it still is the standard I am held to. It takes into consideration waist/ neck measurements as well as height/ weight and calculates it through a formula. At this point with the measurements I have it has me at 21%

DeadLift- 385lbs

Front Squat- 225lbs

Sumo DeadLift High Pull- 165lbs

Lateral Plyo Pushups- 26

Standing Broad Jump- 79"

Jump & Turn Test- 11

Dot Drill- 1:41

Gi Pull-ups- 5 (yes this is particularly sad, but it left my fingers really hurting)

"Fran"- 6:22 (my previous PR was 3:26)

And now for the most embarrassing part, my current pics.

Yes, I'm a fat ass, but It's time to get down to business. This picture had me weighing in at 192lbs and I plan on getting back down to the 81kg weight class. I'll document my training here. Keep in mind that the program I follow is for my goals. Improving my judo and getting back into competition shape is my main goal, but I'm also running a a half Iron Man Triathlon in Oct next year, and the Pittsburgh Marathon in preparation for it. I also have the Marine Corps to be conditioned for, so some of my training will be geared for more endurance that I'd have for a focused judo athlete.

Stay posted for more.

Exercises for Judo Video Montage

2009-11-15T13:41:00.000-08:00

Here is a video Matt put together that highlights various exercises that would be well suited for a judo strength and conditioning program.

Hello!

2009-10-12T08:13:00.000-07:00

Hi-

This is Jason Struck, head coach of Crossfit Full Circle in Richmond, VA.
I'm an avid, if not so accomplished Judoka, as well as practitioner of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and just plain fan of the all-encompassing sport of 'wrestling' in whatever form it takes.

I have been head coach of my Crossfit Affiliate for just over a year, a personal trainer/coach in general for about 6 years. I received my RKC in 2007, I will be finishing my BS in Exercise Science this year, and I have experience training with top judo athletes under Maurice Allan (some nationally ranked), as well as high level NCAA and CAA athletes in sports as diverse as Women's LaCrosse and Football.

I am REALLY looking forward to contributing to this blog, and making it a top resource for Gi Grapplers who want to have the physical capacity to Throw, Pin and Submit with the best of them!!!

- Jason Struck, RKC

Getting back at it.

2009-10-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

The judofitness site has been down for a little bit now, but it is time to start spreading the word again. We've been pulling together some creative, energetic, and most importantly knowledgeable people to contribute to the site's content.

We might not all agree all the time, but everything will be well researched and sound in principle. I'm really looking forward to seeing what comes out of this project and how big it can grow.

Train Hard, Have Fun!

John