Daily blog #20

Longevity in Jiu Jitsu

Are you an avid BJJ practitioner? If you love Jiu Jitsu, you’ve searched endlessly for anything that will keep you in the game longer. The problem is that with all the misinformation out there, you are left with conflicting advice that paralyzes you. Say no more, these 5 guidelines below will help you sort through the never ending stream of information out there. Why am I sharing this? Because I was once like you, confused by the conflicting directions out there that kept me from making a decision that would serve my best interest. Here are the five principles that I subject any new advice to.

1. You are unique; what works for others may not apply to you, start with the basics and make adjustments to find what works best for you. In the same way you will gravitate to certain techniques because they accommodate your body type in Jiu Jitsu, some suggestions will hurt you more than they will help you. The only way to know, is to take everything with a grain of salt and safely experiment on your own.
2. Seek the help of professionals. You can get a ton of great information on the web but it can also result in confusion. Speak with an expert on the topic you would like to learn (nutrition or strength) maybe they can point you to a good resource. Even better, get multiple opinions, if you don’t have the contacts, use the web and create conversations with the leading professionals or as close as you can get.
3. Be careful following the advice of athletes. Not only can they tolerate a tremendous amount of pain but you don’t always know their circumstances, maybe they are using banned substances and you aren’t factoring it into the equation. Try to follow the most evidence based suggestions. If your age is more seasoned 😉 seek the advice of those closer to your age, they are more in touch with how you feel and how your body reacts to things… Unless of course they are using banned substances.
4. Sleep is the ultimate recovery formula and the evidence on getting the most out of your sleep is not too conflicting. Invest in your body’s most available path to good health. A quick google search should arm you with plenty of information to start making changes today.. Or tonight I should say.
5. Develop a good hydration and nutrition plan. Not getting enough water or electrolytes can wreak havoc on your system and many foods (processed foods) can cause inflammation in the body, inhibiting your recovery and leading to injury. I don’t recommend vegan or vegetarian diets because I have met far more people with spinach, celery and peanut intolerances than meat intolerances. The key is to find what foods work best for you and your needs and always strive for the highest quality ingredients. A great information source I use and recommend if you have the time is the Precision Nutrition blog. Or go to our nutrition tab on the Team Hargett web page to get personalized coaching and other amazing offers.