• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workout
      • Best BCAAs
      • Best Testosterone Boosters
      • Best Bodybuilding Supplements
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Supplements for Weight Loss
      • Best Multivitamins
      • Best Collagen Supplement
      • Best Probiotic
      • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workout
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Magnesium Supplements
    • Protein
      • Best Protein Powder
      • Best Whey Protein
      • Best Protein Powders for Muscle Gain
      • Best Tasting Protein Powder
      • Best Vegan Protein
      • Best Mass Gainer
      • Best Protein Shakes
      • Best Organic Protein Powder
      • Best Pea Protein Powder
      • Best Protein Bars
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Home Gym Equipment
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Weightlifting Belts
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Functional Trainers
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Trap Bars
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Cardio Machines
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Weighted Vests
      • Concept2 RowErg Review
      • Hydrow Wave Review
      • Best Jump Ropes
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Fitness

Athlete Journal: James Kearns, Entry 8 – 2/26/2014

This was by far the best training week I’ve had this year, and it feels like my Brazilian jiu jitsu and weightlifting are coming together.

James Kearns

Written by James Kearns Last updated on Nov 22, 2021

EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to the athlete journal of James Kearns. James is an active Brazilian jiu jitsu competitor and also trains and competes in Olympic weightlifting.Follow his journals here every week.

Athlete Journal Entry 8 – 2/26/2014

I’ve finally made it through a week in 2014 without the weather or an injury keeping me out of the gym. This was by far the best training week I’ve had this year, and it feels like my Brazilian jiu jitsu and weightlifting are coming together. I am finally getting back into my normal routine and not stressing out over how I’m going to fit all of my training in for the week, and that’s a big reason my training has improved. If all I’m doing is thinking about how to fit all my sessions in, then I’m not focusing on the training itself.

This week I got some good mat time at Tactical Combat Academy, where the Brazilian jiu jitsu class is growing by the month. Our school is getting ready to send some competitors to Pan Ams soon; plus we’re sending a lot of competitors to the Boston Open and New York Open. Everyone is beginning to step up their game. Our coaches Brad Souders and Bobby Knotts have been focusing on leg drags, drills, and a lot of rolling.

It has been great to see the amount of people training the past month or so. The Brazilian jiu jitsu class has had around twenty students for the past few weeks. The school is also starting to get some heavier guys attending class, which is good for me. This week I will be traveling a little bit to get some more training in with some different guys, which will help me get ready for my next BJJ competition in March.

I am completely back on my Olympic weightlifting program and getting ready for the East Coast Classic at the York Barbell Hall Of Fame this May. My weights are moving well and I have about three weeks left on my program right now. During the past couple months I have been using light weight and working on mechanics and bar speed. I could feel the bar moving this past week, and it was hard to resist the urge to add more weight. Thankfully, I stuck to the program and only used the weight that I was supposed to (which does not always happen). Next month we will start working with heavier weight and I can’t wait.

My weight lifting coach, Doug Lentz, gave me a good rehab/prehab workout to add into my program to help prevent (or at least minimize) any of my back pain from returning. I’m also getting regular weekly adjustments by the chiropractor, which has helped a lot with my back and is probably the only reason that I am back in the gym at all.

Sunday

BJJ: Competition drilling

Monday

AM Session: Weightlifting

  • Power Jerk 90kg 2×3, 92.5kg 2×3
  • Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squats 70lbs 4×6
  • Dumbbell Incline Press 90lbs 4×4
  • Core work

PM Session: BJJ – Sweeps from reverse, de la Riva, drilling, rolling

Wednesday

BJJ: Leg drags, drilling, rolling

Thursday

Weightlifting

  • Overhead Squat 67.5kg x4, 70kg x4, 72.5kg x4, 75kg x4
  • Snatch Grip High Pulls 75kg 3×3
  • Hang Squat Snatch 60kg x3, 70kg x3, 72.5kg x2, 75kg x2, 77.5kg x1
  • Pull-Ups 25lbs x10, x8, x8
  • Core Work

Friday

Weightlifting: Barbell Complexes

  • Clean, Push Press, Lunge 80kg x2, 82.5kg x2
  • Cleans, Front Squat, Romanian Deadlift 107.5 kg x2, 110kg x2, 112.5kg x2
  • Lower Back Stability Drills
  • Core Work
James Kearns

About James Kearns

James Kearns is a Brazilian jiu jitsu competitor and former United States Marine who began training martial arts in 2005. Starting in Taekwondo and boxing in his hometown of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, he would eventually begin training and competing in mixed martial arts. This is when James first started to train in no-gi jiu jitsu. Then, two and a half years ago, he reluctantly borrowed a gi and tried the Brazilian jiu jitsu class. James has trained in no other martial art since.

After successfully competing at the rank of blue belt for the last two years, earning six gold medals in IBJJF events and finishing the year with a gold medal in the Abu Dhabi Pro Trials adult division, James earned his purple belt in December 2013. Having set his goals high for 2014, he plans on competing six to eight times this year, including the IBJJF Masters World Championships.

Along with being an active BJJ competitor, James also trains and competes in Olympic weightlifting. Having a passion for the health and fitness industry, James is a certified personal trainer and the strength and conditioning coach at Tactical Combat Academy in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, where he focuses on individual and group program design for combat sport athletes. James is also a full time student, working on his B.S. in Sports Management.

Although training in Brazilian jiu jitsu and Olympic weightlifting, being a strength coach, and being in school keep James pretty busy, he still spends most of his time with his wife and four kids (who keep him even busier).

View All Articles

Related Posts

Fergus Crawley 5K Run Tips Photo
Fergus Crawley Shares 5 Tips For Running a Better 5K
Actor Chris Hemsworth in gym performing dumbbell row
Chris Hemsworth Diagrams a Killer Upper Body Workout Fit For an Action Star
Hugh Jackman Deadpool 3 Workouts Spring:Winter 2023
Hugh Jackman Returns to Wolverine Condition in Workouts for “Deadpool 3”
Method Man Incline Dumbbell Presses December 2022
Check Out Rapper Method Man Cruising Through 120-Pound Incline Dumbbell Presses for 10 Reps

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

New Year’s Fitness Sales (2025)

XWERKS Motion BCAA Review (2025): A Registered Dietitian’s Honest Thoughts

Assault Fitness AssaultBike Pro X Review (2025): Assault’s Best Bike Yet?

13 Best Exercise Bikes for Home Gyms (2025)

Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine Review (2025): The Key to Post-Workout Recovery?

Latest Reviews

Element 26 Hybrid Leather Weightlifting Belt

Element 26 Hybrid Leather Weightlifting Belt Review (2025)

Omre NMN + Resveratrol, Lifeforce Peak NMN, and partiQlar NMN on a red background

Best NMN Supplement: Fountain of Youth in a Bottle? (2025)

The Titan Series Adjustable Bench on a red background

Titan Series Adjustable Bench Review (2025)

A photo of the NordicTrack Select-a-Weight Dumbbells on a red background

NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbell Review (2025): Are These Value Dumbbells Worth It?

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2025 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About