First Match

Overall I’m pleased with my performance. I definitely did some things wrong, but I was able to apply some of the transitions and set ups that I have been working on over the last seven weeks or so.

Unfortunately, I almost got submitted in the first minute of my very first match. Right off the bat, I got caught in a super deep triangle while I was passing guard. After somehow fighting that off, my opponent got a hold of my right arm and I thought it was all over. I tried to stand up and get my knee in, but he just grabbed my right leg and pulled me back down, badly twisting my left knee in the process. I was now stuck in an even tighter shoulder lock.

“My opponent had my arm torqued as far as it would possibly go, but I just kept fighting to get my arm free, until finally I was out.”

At first, I was sure my competition was going to be over. I have no idea what I was doing. While I was stuck in in that shoulder lock all I could think was, “I can’t train so hard and travel so far to lose in the first sixty seconds of my first match.”

Then I heard it: pop, pop, pop, pop. It felt and sounded like my arm was breaking. My opponent had my arm torqued as far as it would possibly go, but I just kept fighting to get my arm free, until finally I was out. Once I got free, I ended up scoring eleven points and winning the hardest match of my life.

Second Match

After icing my arm and lying down for forty minutes, I decided I would continue. My second match went much better. I got the early takedown, took his back, transitioned to a kimura, and used that to set up the arm bar that finished the match.

RELATED: Things Are Changing in the BJJ Competition World

Semifinals

I had now reached the semifinals, but this is where my luck would run out. At this point in the day, I was hurting badly. My knee was getting super tight and my arm was swelling up and starting to hurt. But it really didn’t matter, because my opponent in the semifinals could have beaten me even if I was 110%. He was just better than me, and there was nothing that I could do. I lost on points, and my day was over.

“This has been my first year competing as a purple belt and I couldn’t be happier with my evolution as a BJJ practitioner.”

Although I am never satisfied losing, getting beaten by a superior opponent is something that I can live with. I prepared as much as I could have and I am happy with my performance. This has been my first year competing as a purple belt and I couldn’t be happier with my evolution as a BJJ practitioner. After competing ten times this past year, it is time to rest and get ready for 2015.

James Kearns is an active Brazilian jiu jitsu competitor and also trains and competes in Olympic weightlifting.Follow his journals here every week.

The post The 2014 Masters World Championships (Athlete Journal 43) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

I worked my game plan pretty well at the New York Pro. Unfortunately, out of the four matches that I had, only one of my opponents didn’t pull guard. Although I want to stand and work for the takedown, this has been something that I have been preparing for and I was ready. My passing was nice and my transitions flowed smoothly.

Working My Weaknesses

Even though I had a lot of success at the New York Pro, there are some things in my game that I still need to iron out this week. The biggest problem I ran into was the referees. Not that the referees were not doing a decent job seeing the matches, but that they were not understanding what exactly I was trying to do when I was in side control.

RELATED: When Referees Go Wrong: How to Handle Wrong Calls

For example, I got called for stalling on three separate occasions Saturday. In my first match, I was trying to set up a lapel choke from side control. Since I was pulling my opponent’s gi between his own body and the mat, the friction of the action, the weight of his body, and the transition of the grips made for a slow-developing set up. Although I was actively setting this up, the referee saw it as a lack of activity.

In my second match, I was setting up the same choke and a different referee called me for stalling. Then in my absolute finals match, I got called again. While I was in side control, I explained to him that I was working hard to set this up. It made no difference because he gave me a second stalling warning. In the end, it had no bearing on the outcome of the match, but it is still discouraging that something that I have been working hard on for the last two months will have to be re-evaluated for its effectiveness.

“I have no idea what to expect next week, but I do know there was absolutely nothing more that I could have done in preparation for the Masters World Championships.”

After the match I had a good conversation with the referee about what I was trying to accomplish and why he didn’t see it the same way. Keep in mind, this conversation was exactly that – a conversation. At no point in time will I intentionally show up a referee, no matter how bad I though the call was (and I have been on the wrong side of some absolutely awful calls). He simply stated that although I may be trying to improve my position or set something up, I need to move faster. I disagreed, thanked him for his explanation, shook his hand, and went on my way.

I Am Prepared

I may have to adjust that part of my game plan, but as far as my conditioning goes, absolutely nothing needs changed. I felt great all day long. At no time did I feel winded or tired, and I clearly had a large strength advantage in all of my matches. This week I will do one weightlifting day before heading out to California. On Monday, I will do some plyometrics, a barbell complex, and some core work. That will be my last strength and conditioning day of the week and of my program.

LEARN MORE: The Truth About Conditioning for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

I have no idea what to expect next week, but I do know there was absolutely nothing more that I could have done in preparation for the Masters World Championships. I have made a massive jump in skill as a BJJ practitioner because of it. Thanks to all who have helped me prepare for this.

Monday – Strength and Conditioning

• Box Jumps 3×11
• Oblique Push Ups 3×4
• Plyo Pull Up 3×6
• Barbell Complex @ 57.5kg
• Hang Clean x5
• Push Press x5
• Front Squat x8
• Row x8
• Romanian Deadlift x8
• Hanging Leg Raise

Monday – BJJ

Drilling, rolling at TCA

Tuesday – BJJ

Drilling, rolling at Daniel Beleza’s

Wednesday – BJJ

Drilling, rolling at TCA

Thursday – Strength and Conditioning

• Box Jumps 3×11
• Oblique Push Ups 3×4
• Plyo Pull Up 3×6
• Circuit x3:
• Dumbbell Split Squat x15
• Pull Up x15
• Incline Push Up x15
• Hammer Curl x15
• Medicine Ball Push Up x15
• Medicine Ball V-Sits @ 20 pounds 3×15,15, 15

Saturday – BJJ: IBJJF NY Pro

James Kearns is an active Brazilian jiu jitsu competitor and also trains and competes in Olympic weightlifting.Follow his journals here every week.

The post Gold at the New York Pro (Athlete Journal 42) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

On one hand, I am excited and beyond ready to go and compete after devoting so much time and putting so much work in for these next two weeks. I am as mentally and physically prepared as I can possibly be. I have an extreme amount of confidence that I will do well, because I have done everything within reason to get ready for this competition.

The Last Five Weeks of Training

I have trained at three different schools over the last five weeks and put some serious mileage on my truck in the process. My hotel for Masters is taken care of, plane tickets are taken care of, and I have already made up my meal schedule for three days of eating away from home. I feel like all of the time and preparation that has gone into getting ready for the next two weeks will pay off, and I am ready to fly across the country and put it on the mat.

But on the other hand, I am definitely disappointed to wrap up all of the great training I have received over the last several weeks. In the six years I have been training in BJJ (three years in no-gi and three with a gi), I have never made as big of an improvement in my game as I have in the last five weeks. My transitions are super smooth, my control and pressure feel great, and my technique is better than ever.

“I have an extreme amount of confidence that I will do well, because I have done everything within reason to get ready for this competition.”

This would not be the case if I wouldn’t have put so much time into my training. I can’t tell you how many different guys I have met and trained with during this process. So as excited as I am that it is finally time to go and get it, I will miss the entire progression from then to now. 

Strength and Conditioning Program

I have also concluded another successful strength and conditioning program. I finished my last full week of my two-day split. I will do one day of plyometrics and barbell complexes on the Monday before the New York Pro and Worlds. These days will be more focused on maintaining rather than improving my current strength, power, and conditioning.

I hit some numbers in my lifting that I haven’t seen in a while, especially at a bodyweight of 201-202lb. Overall I was pleased with my strength improvements during this last program. I wasn’t sure how my body would react to being about seventeen pounds lighter and still overloading it during my strength program, but I continued to get stronger and more explosive. I also only missed one day due to injury.

RELATED: What Every Good BJJ Strength and Conditioining Program Should Look Like

Next week, training will start to slow down. I will only drive out of town once to train with Daniel Beleza, and then I will finish out the week training at Tactical Combat Academy (TCA). It is all winding down, and I feel like it has been way too long since I have competed. So, in the famous words of Bart Scott, “Can’t wait!”

This Week’s Training

Week 13 of 13-week Conditioning Phase

Bodyweight: 201lb

Sunday – BJJ

Drilling at TCA

Monday – Strength and Conditioning:

Box Jumps 3×11

Oblique Push Ups 3×4

Plyo Pull Up 3×6

Barbell Complex: 55kg

• Hang Clean x5
• Push Press x5
• Front Squat x8
• Row x8
• Romanian Deadlift x8
• Hanging Leg Raise

Monday – BJJ

Drilling, rolling at TCA

Wednesday – BJJ

Technique, rolling at TCA

Thursday – BJJ

Drilling, rolling at Daniel Beleza’s

Friday – Strength and Conditioning

• Box Jumps 3×11
• Oblique Push Ups 3×4
• Plyo Pull Up 3×6

Circuit x3:

• Dumbbell Split Squat x15
• Pull Up x15
• Incline Push Up x15
• Hammer Curl x15
• Medicine Ball Push Up x15
• Dumbbell Farmers Walk 120 pounds 3x 45 yards,
• Medicine Ball V-Sits 20 pounds 3×15,13,13

Friday – BJJ

Rolling at Harisburg BJJ & Judo

James Kearns is an active Brazilian jiu jitsu competitor and also trains and competes in Olympic weightlifting.Follow his journals here every week.

The post A Bittersweet End to My Training Cycle (Athlete Journal 41) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Periodization, Rest, and Injury Prevention

Since I have gotten older, my training has gotten smarter (or so I would like to think). I’ve started to focus on not getting injured, and based my training on periodization and rest. But over the last five weeks, I have been in the gym training BJJ, weightlifting, or training others about eleven times a week. I think this may be starting to wear on me a little, because now it seems like every week I am getting some type of small but annoying injury.

Most of these injuries are more of an inconvenience than anything else. In the beginning of the year I had some pretty bad injuries that forced me to miss a lot of mat time. But so far, while preparing for Worlds, I have not missed any BJJ training days, and this past Saturday was the first time I missed a strength and conditioning day.

Make the Commitment

My shoulder, which has bothered me for years, forced me to miss Saturday. It was the result of a combination of fighting off a deep omoplata for about sixty seconds on Thursday and rolling for an hour and a half on Friday. My shoulder was killing me on the hour-long drive back home. Although I hate missing training time, it wasn’t a big deal at all because I had a huge paper due in kinesiology. So my Saturday consisted of ice, rest, and more ice. That seemed to help, and I don’t see it being an issue the rest of the week.

Really, it doesn’t matter anyway. I have made the commitment to compete at Worlds, and super annoying injury or not, that is what I’m going to do. I hate seeing people train for a competition and then they miss a day or two or jam their finger. Then they have to drop out because the moons don’t align and the moment isn’t perfect for them to compete. I can’t believe how often this happens.

There’s no way that out of all the competitors competing at a tournament everyone is 100% and trained every day before they competed. We are all busy, we all have injuries, and we all miss time in the gym. The sooner we accept this reality, the better off we will be.

This Week’s Training

Week 12 of 13-week Conditioning Phase

Bodyweight: 202lb

Sunday – BJJ

Drilling at TCA

Monday – Strength and Conditioning

• Box Jumps 3×10
• Oblique Push Ups 3×3
• Plyo Pull Up 3×6
• Barbell Complex: 60kg
• Hang Clean x5
• Push Press x5
• Front Squat x8
• Row x8
• Romanian Deadlift x8
• Hanging Leg Raise
• 30 Yard Sprint Internals 3×5

Monday – BJJ

Drilling, Rolling at TCA

Wednesday – BJJ

Technique, Rolling at TCA

Thursday – BJJ

Drilling, Rolling at Daniel Beleza’s

Friday- BJJ

Rolling at Harisburg BJJ & Judo

James Kearns is an active Brazilian jiu jitsu competitor and also trains and competes in Olympic weightlifting.Follow his journals here every week.

The post Periodization, Rest, and Injury Prevention (Athlete Journal 40) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Training at Different Academies

Right now every Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday, I am drilling and training at Tactical Combat Academy. Then every Thursday I head up the road to train with Daniel Beleza, and every Friday I get some hellacious rolling in at Harrisburg BJJ and Judo.

This is the first time I have ever had such a regimented training schedule for BJJ and I will be better off for having done it. I may add in another day of no-gi every now and then, just to mix things up a little. I have added a few new things to my game and have gotten to train with some new people. I have gone all in and will have no excuses for when the time comes to step out on the mat.

My Strength and Conditioning Program

I know it is getting closer to competition because I am now in the final phase of my strength and conditioning program. This program has progressed nicely, just like my last one. I hit some decent numbers on my last week of the power phase and now I’m onto the conditioning phase. My conditioning is mostly high-rep circuit training with some barbell complexes, plyometrics, sprint intervals, and farmer’s walks. The goal is to continue to improve explosiveness, while forcing my body to get rid of all the acid and waste that builds up in my muscles.

I don’t put a lot of stock in the cardio aspect of training for BJJ. I just roll more and longer. In the weight room it’s too hard to emulate the type of cardio needed for rolling with the gi on. If I needed to lose a few pounds, however, I would definitely bump up the cardio to work on burning calories.

I surely don’t need to lose any more weight. I am actually walking around at 201lb right now. This is about three pounds lighter than I would like. The three pounds may not be a huge deal, but I just don’t want that to turn into four, five, or six pounds. With the amount of training I’m doing right now, that’s possible.

Fortunately, this isn’t a hard fix. All I’m doing is adding in about 300 calories a day. I will weigh myself in a week and see where I’m at. If I have stayed the same or maybe gone up a pound, I will continue to consume the same amount of calories. If I am still losing weight, then I will add a couple hundred more and see where I’m at next week.

This Week’s Training

Week 11 of 13-Week Conditioning Phase

Bodyweight: 201lb

Sunday

BJJ at TCA: Drilling

Monday – Strength and Conditioning:

• Box Jumps 3×10
• Oblique Push Ups 3×3
• Plyo Pull Up 3×6
• Barbell Complex:
• Hang Clean x5
• Push Press x5
• Front Squat x8
• Row x8
• Romanian Deadlift x8
• Hanging Leg Raise
• 30-yard Sprint Internals 3×5

Monday – BJJ at TCA

Drilling

Wednesday – BJJ at TCA

Technique, Rolling

Thursday – BJJ at Daniel Beleza’s

Technique, Rolling

Friday – BJJ at Harisburg BJJ & Judo

Rolling

Saturday – Strength and Conditioning

• Box Jumps 3×10
• Oblique Push Ups 3×3
• Plyo Pull Up 3×6
• Circuit x3
• Dumbbell Split Squat x15
• Pull Up x15
• Incline Push Up x15
• Hammer Curl x15
• Medicine Ball Push Up x15
• Dumbbell Farmers Walk 120 pounds 3x 40 yards,
• Medicine Ball V-Sits 20lb 3×15,13,13

James Kearns is an active Brazilian jiu jitsu competitor and also trains and competes in Olympic weightlifting.Follow his journals here every week.

The post The Importance of Training at a Different Academy (Athlete Journal 39) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

For a lot of masters athletes, their kids are their biggest priority and one of the biggest reasons for lack of training. Well, I’m definitely no different. Soccer, gymnastics, choir practice, and a birthday party are the things my kids do every week. Training around this isn’t typically an issue, but this week was a little different. My wife worked a lot more than normal, so I had to stay with the kids in the evening and on Saturday morning. This decreased my training time.

The injury I was talking about above was my drilling partner’s, not mine. It wasn’t serious, but he needed some off time to rest. Once again, there was nothing that I could do about the situation.

Judo Seminar

My other priority was training, but I had to pick which training I would be doing with the time that was available to me. I skipped my strength and conditioning session on Saturday and replaced it with some training on the mat. That’s what I meant when I mentioned priorities. My priority will always be mat time over strength and conditioning, which has not always been the case. 

My training on Saturday was a two hour judo seminar at Harrisburg BJJ and Judo. I have little experience in judo, but I have always known that I need to add it into my stand up game. My takedowns are good, but I can always use some more. They have to have a high success rate, but more importantly, they can’t put me in a bad position if I miss and don’t hit it.

Although I normally am not a huge fan of seminars, this one was with Travis Stevens. Travis is a two-time Olympian and America’s highest ranked judo player. I had high hopes that he would be able to articulate his judo so that I would pick up some techniques that I had just not been getting from other judo practitioners.

Overall, I was impressed. He explained simple things that didn’t make sense to me before, and everything just clicked. It was absolutely worth the price of admission, and I would recommend any BJJ practitioner to train with Travis if the opportunity presents itself.

I’m looking forward to turning up my training this week. There are only six weeks left until Masters Worlds and five weeks until the New York Pro. This week I am planning on a few big changes to my training program.

I would be remiss if I didn’t give a giant thank you to Covert Gas and Electric, LLC for their support as I prepare to compete at Worlds. Local companies supporting local competitors are great for anyone’s community. Thank you!

This Week’s Training

Week eight of thirteen-week strength and conditioning program: Power Phase

Bodyweight: 203lb

Monday – Strength and Conditioning

• Power Jerk (kg) 87.2×3, 90×3, 90×3, 92.5×2, 95×2
• Squat 365×3, 370×3, 375×3, 380×3
• One Arm Overhead Dumbbell Extension 35x3x8
• Hammer Curls 50x3x8
• Core Work

Monday – BJJ

Drilling, De La Riva Guard, Rolling

Wednesday – BJJ

Drilling, Guillotine Set Ups, Rolling

Thursday – Strength and Conditioning

• Box Jumps 3×7
• Oblique Plyo Push Up 3×3
• Plyo Pull Up 3×4
• Deadlift 380×3, 385×3, 390×3, 395×3
• Chin Up (With 35 pound plate) 12, 9, 8
• Core Work

Saturday – Judo

Seminar

James Kearns is an active Brazilian jiu jitsu competitor and also trains and competes in Olympic weightlifting.Follow his journals here every week.

The post Priorities in Life and Training (Athlete Journal 38) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Waiting For Worlds

After competing in the Boston Summer Open a few weeks ago, I officially decided that Masters Worlds was now my number one goal of the year. Having competed eight times already this year, I also decided that taking a break from competition until November would be in my best interest so I could focus all my attention on Worlds. This seemed like a rational and intelligent decision, but now I find myself wanting to get back on the mat and compete, so that I can practice some of the new techniques that I have been working on. 

Competing regularly also allows me to keep my focus for shorter periods of time. By the time I compete next, it will be around ten weeks since my last tournament. That is starting to seem like an incredibly long time. 

Juggling Training and Life

Besides the amount of time that is testing my focus, my weeks are becoming unbelievably crammed. Last week some of my kids started getting runny noses and coughing. Anyone who has kids knows that when this happens, it is only a matter of time until you will also have the pleasure of a cold. Fortunately, when I did get it this week, the cold was mild and didn’t really affect anything beyond one crappy night of sleeping.

Along with coughs and runny noses, I have a bunch of other things going on, too. My fall semester for school is proving to be as time consuming as it is beneficial. Every week there is a lot of reading, writing, and test taking, which I don’t mind and often enjoy. I’m getting travel arrangements squared away for my trip to California. I started running a new conditioning class two more days a week for my personal training business and working on my new website.

This Is Just Life

Now that I have written all these distractions out for me to look over, it is clear to me what happened this week that derailed my usually laser beam focus: life. This is just life, and these are things that everyone goes through every week. Just because I’m preparing for an athletic competition doesn’t mean I won’t have to deal with the same things as everyone else.

Most likely every opponent that I face (even at the World Championships) will have to deal with a lot of the same things. But really, as much as I love BJJ, everything that blurs my competitive focus (family, school, training) are the things that drive and motivate me the most. I don’t get out of bed in the morning for BJJ, I get out of bed for my family. Literally, my alarm clock is an eleven-month-old crying.

After writing this entry, I can honestly say that I am now officially refocused and ready for this next training week to begin. Masters Worlds, I can’t wait!

This Week’s Training

• Week seven of thirteen-week strength and conditioning program: Power phase
• Bodyweight: 202lb

Sunday – BJJ

Drilling

Monday – Strength and Conditioning

• Power Jerk (kg) 87.2×3, 87.2×3, 90×3, 90×3, 92.5×2
• Squat 360×3, 365×3, 370×3, 375×3
• One Arm Overhead Dumbbell Extension 30x3x8
• Hammer Curls 50x3x8
• Core Work

Monday – BJJ

Drilling, Rolling

Wednesday – BJJ

Drilling, Submissions From Side Control, Rolling

Thursday – Strength and Conditioning

• Box Jumps 3×6
• Oblique Plyo Push Up 3×2
• Plyo Pull Up 3×4
• Dead Lift (kg) 172.5×2, 175×3, 177.5×3, 180×3
• Chin-Up (With 35 pound plate) 11, 8, 7
• Core Work

Friday – BJJ

Harrisburg BJJ and Judo, Marathon Rolling.

Saturday – Strength and Conditioning

• Box Jumps 3×7
• Oblique Plyo Push Up 3×3
• Plyo Pull Up 3×4
• Hang Cleans (kg) 90×3, 95×3, 97.5×3, 100×2, 102.5×2
• Dumbbell Incline Press 105x3x3
• T-Bar Row 160x3x8
• Core Work

James Kearns is an active Brazilian jiu jitsu competitor and also trains and competes in Olympic weightlifting.Follow his journals here every week.

The post Time to Refocus (Athlete Journal 37) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Working My Submissions

I have been focusing on adding more submissions to my game for the last week and it is something that I need to continue to work on. I’ve been doing well competing lately, but I’ve noticed that since moving up to purple belt, my submission rate has gone down. This is just another adjustment that I will have to make.

Over the last year I have made a lot of adjustments to my game. Some things that worked well for me at blue belt just didn’t work well, or at all, when I first started competing at purple belt. So I took my lumps (literally and physically) in the beginning, and after reviewing my performances and working with my coaches, I made the necessary adjustments and successfully moved forward. Winning by points is still winning, but I would rather finish the match in four minutes by submission.

The Value of Competition

It doesn’t matter how much you are dominating your opponent or what the score is. As long as you are both on the mat competing, he always has a chance to catch you. Unfortunately, I had to learn this the hard way. I always remember this one match when I was winning 9-0 and passing at will. I got caught in an inverted triangle with about fifteen seconds left in the match. That’s a match that I always look back on and think, “If only I could have submitted him, I would have never gotten to that point.”

That is what competition does. It forces you to take a look at your game and actually think about what caused your bad position or loss. When you get swept or submitted in the gym, you just touch hands and immediately start rolling all over again. You can easily forget about what happened and there may be no need to adjust. But when that same thing happens in a win-or-go-home tournament, you basically have until the next time you compete to think about the outcome and correct any mistakes.

This Week’s Training

This week I finished up week six of my thirteen-week strength and conditioning program. The weights have continued to increase as expected. I have noticed some real gains in the deadlift and hang cleans. This week I finished my deadlifts with a nice set of 385 of three, which is much higher than it has been for a long time. My hang clean weight hasn’t made any large jumps, but my bar speed is as fast as it has ever been.

Sunday – BJJ

Drilling

Monday – Strength and Conditioning

• Box Jumps 3×5
• Oblique Plyo Push Up 3×2
• Plyo Pull Up 3×3

• Power Jerk 180×4, 185×4, 190×3, 195×3, 200×3
• Squat 345×4, 350×4, 360×4, 365×4, 370×4
• One Arm Overhead Dumbbell Extension 30x3x8
• Hammer Curls 50x3x8
• Core Work

Monday – BJJ

Labor Day, Rolling

Wednesday – Strength and Conditioning

• Deadlift 365×4, 375×4, 380×4, 385×4
• Chin-Up (With 35 pound plate) 10, 8, 5
• Core Work

Wednesday – BJJ

Drilling, Submissions From Side Control, Rolling

Friday – BJJ

Harrisburg BJJ and Judo, Marathon Rolling

Saturday – Strength and Conditioning

• Box Jumps 3×6
• Oblique Plyo Push Up 3×2
• Plyo Pull Up 3×4
• Hang Cleans (KG) 90×3, 92.5×3, 95×3, 97.5×3, 100×3
• DB Incline Press 100×3, 100×3, 105×3, 105×3
• T-Bar Row 155x3x8
• Core Work

Saturday – BJJ

No Gi Rolling

James Kearns is an active Brazilian jiu jitsu competitor and also trains and competes in Olympic weightlifting.Follow his journals here every week.

The post The Value of Competition (Athlete Journal 36) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

I can tell all the hard work I’ve been putting in over the last several months is paying off. My timing and transitions are firing on all cylinders and my overall strength and conditioning is possibly the best it’s ever been. Coming off my most meaningful win last week in Boston, I briefly thought I may get a little complacent in my training, but that was far from the case.

Ready to Commit

When I began 2014, competing at Worlds was something that was just a consideration. Since this was my first year competing at purple belt, I wanted to see how I progressed during the competition season before I made the commitment.

I knew from the beginning that I wouldn’t fly out to California if I didn’t think I could actually compete for a spot on the podium. I don’t want to make the three-day trip and spend all that time away from my family just to get blown out of the water and get shut out or submitted my first match. To actually compete, you must actually be competitive. It wouldn’t be fair to my opponents or me if I couldn’t compete.

Now I’m nine months and eight tournaments into 2014 and am progressing better than I thought. Competing in the IBJJF Masters World Championships is more than a consideration – it is what I will be thinking about every time I step on the mat to train, every time I do my strength and conditioning program, and every time I look into the refrigerator to get a snack.

This Week’s Training

This week I did miss my drilling session on Sunday, but that was due to driving home from Boston and not getting home until 5:00am. I still got three solid days of training at Tactical Combat Academy and another great ninety-minute roll-a-thon up at Harrisburg BJJ and Judo.

Saturday marked the start of week six and the beginning of the power phase of my thirteen-week strength and conditioning program for Worlds. This consists of the addition of plyometrics into my program as well as an increased intensity on Olympic lifts. I normally run a three-day training split. My day one is on Saturday, so my split looks like this:

• Day 1 – Saturday
• Day 2 – Monday
• Day 3 – Wednesday

My body weight continues to stay around 203-204lbs, so losing or cutting weight won’t be any concern. I’m ready to get this next training week started and continue to work on my game plan and implement new techniques. 

Monday – Strength and Conditioning

• Power Jerk 175×4, 185×4, 190×3, 195×3
• Squat 345×4, 350×4, 355×4, 360×4, 365×4
• Close Grip Bench Press 160x3x8
• Alternating Dumbbell Curls 50x3x8
• Core Work

Monday – BJJ

Drills – Technique, Passing, Rolling

Wednesday – Strength and Conditioning

• Deadlift 355×4, 365×4, 370×4, 380×4
• Chin Up (With 25 pound plate) 16, 11, 8
• Core Work

Wednesday – BJJ

Drilling, Helping Teammates Prepare For Atlanta Open, Rolling

Friday – BJJ

Harrisburg BJJ and Judo, Marathon Rolling

Saturday – Strength and Conditioning

• Box Jumps 3×5
• Oblique Plyo Push Up 3×2
• Plyo Pull Up 3×3
• Hang Cleans (kg) 90×3, 90×3, 92.5×3, 92.5×3, 95×3
• Dumbbell Incline Press 95×4,100×4, 100×4, 100×4
• T-Bar Row 145x3x10
• Core Work

Saturday – BJJ

No Gi Rolling, Instructing

James Kearns is an active Brazilian jiu jitsu competitor and also trains and competes in Olympic weightlifting.Follow his journals here every week.

The post Great Expectations (Athlete Journal 35) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

On Saturday I competed in the Boston Summer Open. What started out as an unbelievably disappointing day turned out to be one of the most satisfying and exciting tournaments I have ever competed in.

I was already a little disappointed before the tournament even started because I only had one other competitor in my division. At no point in time am I looking for an easy opportunity to get on the podium, so the more competitors in my weight class, the better. But this is something I can’t control, and I began to prepare myself for one single match in my division.

Competing Against a Teammate

After weighing in, I was mentally prepared and ready to go. Unfortunately, my lone opponent missed weight and got disqualified. That meant that I wouldn’t have any matches in my weight class and would have to wait for another three hours and compete in the absolute (open weight) division.

I can’t explain how disappointed I was after hearing this news. The guy that missed weight came up to me and apologized profusely. All I could say was, “Don’t worry about it.” Unfortunately these things happen and it’s just the way it goes sometimes.

So I waited around for the absolute division to start and things continued to not go well. When the brackets came out I was informed that I would be competing against one of my own teammates in the first round. After talking about what to do, we decided to just go out on the mat and compete. He gave up a lot of weight against me, but we still had a pretty good match.

The Final Match

But after I won that match, I moved into the finals. That is where it all changed. I found out I would now be competing against same opponent who submitted me in the absolute finals just a few weeks ago at the New York Summer Open. I can’t tell you how jacked up I was to get another opportunity to compete against him. He really put it on me a couple weeks ago, so I already knew how good he was and how hard it would be to get the win against him.

We had an epic back-and-forth grip fight for the first five minutes of the match until, on the thirteenth takedown attempt, I finally got him down. Once I got my two points, there was no way I was going to give up sweep or any position for the rest of the match. That was it. I finally won the absolute gold at purple belt.

What made it such a great competition for me wasn’t winning gold, but competing against such a good BJJ practitioner and having it go my way. I will probably see him again, and I can’t wait for another opportunity to test myself against such a good competitor.

Next up is a lot more training and getting ready for Master’s Worlds in November.

James Kearns is an active Brazilian jiu jitsu competitor and also trains and competes in Olympic weightlifting.Follow his journals here every week.

The post Victory at the Boston Summer Open (Athlete Journal 34) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

However, I am a little disappointed that for the first time I will only have one other competitor in my division. Competition is competition, but having a deep bracket is always extra motivating. Still, I can’t wait until this Saturday.

Tournament Prep

This past week was a lot of hard rolling and getting ready for Boston. I got to test my conditioning with another great trip up to Harrisburg BJJ and Judo. There all we do is roll for about an hour and a half. In a room with over twenty BJJ practitioners, there is always a different look and feel to get with each roll.

Back at Tactical Combat Academy I am continuing to work on my guard passing. Right now I’m studying the Leandro Lo guard passing series with my coaches. His passing is similar to mine and is something I’m trying to work into my game.

This week I will be rolling very light, but mostly just a lot of drilling. I already have the hotel rooms and other travel arrangements taken care of, so all that’s left is to make sure I have all my food and water ready to take. This requires getting my lunches and dinners prepared as well as getting my oatmeal bars made on Thursday. There’s nothing worse than competing all day and running out of food or water in the middle of the day.

I just wrapped up week three of my fourteen-week strength and conditioning program. Since this program is for Masters Worlds in November, I will just have to make some minor adjustments this week for Boston. I will complete my Wednesday workout as normal with exception of deadlifts, but due to travel and time constraints this week I won’t complete my Saturday workout. Most likely I won’t make it up either, I will just miss it.

Training Log

Strength Phase

Bodyweight: 204lbs

Sunday – BJJ

Competition drilling, hard rolling

Monday – Strength and Conditioning

• Power Jerk (kg) 77.5×4, 80×4, 82.5×4, 85×4
• Squat 330×5, 335×5, 340×5, 345×5, 350×5
• Close Grip Bench Press 145x3x10
• Alternating Dumbbell Curls 40x3x10
• Core Work

Monday – BJJ

Drills technique, passing, rolling

Wednesday – Strength and Conditioning

• Deadlift 335×5, 340×5, 350×5, 355×5
• Dumbbell Step-Up 45x3x10
• Chin-Up 22, 15, 10
• Core Work

Wednesday – BJJ

Gi chokes, rolling

Friday – BJJ

Harrisburg BJJ and judo, marathon rolling

Saturday – Strength and Conditioning

• Hang Cleans (kg) 80×4, 82.5×4, 85×4, 90×4
• Dumbbell Incline Press 90x2x4, 95x3x4
• Farmers Walk 50 Yards x3, 110 pound dumbbell
• T-Bar Row 155x3x8
• Core Work

James Kearns is an active Brazilian jiu jitsu competitor and also trains and competes in Olympic weightlifting.Follow his journals here every week.

The post It’s Tournament Time (Athlete Journal 33) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

I have been fortunate to avoid any serious injuries and I have stayed consistent with my training. Hopefully this continues.

Changing Up My Training

This week may have been my best training week yet. I got five days of BJJ training, including a trip up to York, Pennsylvania to train with Daniel Beleza and his guys. Daniel, who is famous for his ridiculous guard game, went over nothing but submissions from standing. There were some techniques that I will be drilling on Sunday and trying to add in my game.

I also did some no-gi on Thursday morning while helping someone get ready for the Pan No-Gi Tournament in September. This was the first time I’ve done any training without the gi in a while, so I caught myself looking for grips that weren’t there quite a few times. I’ve said this before, but I would like to add some no-gi training into my schedule on a regular basis. I just don’t know where I would find the time. I’m already training with the gi four to five times a week, so I’m limited on the time I could give it.

A Growing BJJ Program

During the summer, classes always get smaller and this year has been no exception at Tactical Combat Academy. However, even though the classes have gotten smaller, they are still averaging around eight to twelve people. Over the winter we were averaging around 16-25, so this is a good sign.

Our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program is growing and this has also contributed to my improved training. Even when rolling with beginners I can work on things in my game. It gives me a good opportunity to implement techniques that I just learned and it gives me more guys to roll with. So even when someone has only been training for six months or so, they are important to my growth as a competitor and a practitioner of BJJ. Then when they have been training for a couple years and are kicking my ass I can say, “Hey, remember how nice I was to you when you first started?”

I finally got my diet back on the right track and now I don’t even have to think about it. Right now I weigh 205lb, which is right where I need to be for the Boston Summer Open in two weeks. My strength and conditioning program continues to go well and my small groin pull from last week seems to be all healed up. I’m just going to continue to work on getting as strong and explosive as I possibly can in preparation for Masters Worlds in November.

Sunday – BJJ

Competition Drilling

Monday – Strength and Conditioning

• Power Jerk (kg) 75×5, 77.5×5, 80×5, 82.5×5
• Squat 325×5, 330×5, 335×5, 340×5, 345×5
• Close Grip Bench Press 135×10, 145x2x10
• Alternating Dumbbell Curls 40x3x10
• Core Work

Monday – BJJ

Drills Technique, Rolling

Tuesday – BJJ

Daniel Beleza’s – Drills, Technique, Rolling

Wednesday – Strength and Conditioning:

• Deadlift 325×5, 330×5, 340×5, 345×5
• Dumbbell Step Up 45x3x10
• Chin Up 21, 15, 10
• Core Work

Wednesday – BJJ

Sweeps, Rolling

Thursday – BJJ

No-gi, Rolling

Saturday – Strength and Conditioning

• Hang Cleans (kg) 75×4, 80×4, 85×4, 90×4
• Dumbbell Incline Press 90x5x4
• Farmers Walk 55 Yards x3, 105lb dumbbell
• T-Bar Row 145x3x10
• Core Work

James Kearns is an active Brazilian jiu jitsu competitor and also trains and competes in Olympic weightlifting.Follow his journals here every week.

The post Changing Up My Training (Athlete Journal 32) appeared first on Breaking Muscle.